In response to shiny, bigger, better American consumerism comes COLD SOULS, a surreal comedy in which souls can be extracted and traded as commodities. Balancing on a tightrope between deadpan humor and pathos, and reality and fantasy, the film presents Paul Giamatti as himself, agonizing over his interpretation of Uncle Vanya. Paralyzed by anxiety, he stumbles upon a solution via a New Yorker article about a high-tech company promising to alleviate suffering by extracting souls. Giamatti enlists their services — only to find out that his soul is the shape and size of a chickpea. On top of this discovery, complications arise when he becomes the unfortunate victim of “soul-trafficking” which leads him to Russia in hopes of retrieving his stolen soul from an ambitious but talentless soap-opera actress.

For more information and local listings visit the film’s website www.coldsoulsthemovie.com

Radical Disciple: The Story of Father Pfleger

Gene Siskel Film Center
164 N. State St.
Chicago, IL, 60601
Friday, August 28 at 8.15pm
Sunday, August 30 at 5pm

Bob Hercules and Father Mike Pfleger will be present for a Q&A after the screenings!

IFP/Chicago member Bob Hercules is premiering his newest film, “Radical Disciple: The Story of Father Pfleger,” as part of the Black Harvest Film Festival at the Gene Siskel Film Center on Friday, August 28 at 8.15pm. It will also show there on Sunday, August 30 at 5pm. The film chronicles the radical priest and his struggle against racism and injustice and how that struggle has brought him into direct conflict with Catholic hierarchy.

Six comedy TV pilots made by Chicago filmmakers will be featured during the
two shows of the event, on Thursday, July 23. Shows will start at 7pm and 9pm. Admission is $10 per show at The Chicago Cultural Center Theater, 78 E.
Washington St. The Festival line-up can be viewed at: www.witsendshorts.com.
Tickets are available only on the day of the event; the box office at the theater door
opens at 3pm on the day; cash sales only.

Thirty-nine comedy shorts by talented Chicago filmmakers will be featured
during the two shows of the event, on Friday, July 24. Shows will start at 7pm
and 9pm. Admission is $10 per show at The Chicago Cultural Center
Theater, 78 E. Washington St. The Festival line-up can be viewed at:
www.witsendshorts.com. Tickets are available only on the day of the event; the box office at the theater door opens at 3pm on the day; cash sales only.

BEING BUCKY
Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema
2828 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL, 60657
May 28th 2009, 7pm & 9pm

Tickets are $10 and can be bought here!

IFP/Chicago Board Member John Fromstein and Fulton Market Films win the Wisconsin Film Festival Audience Award with this buckumentary about being a mascot.

When you are Bucky, you are forbidden to tell anyone. You do not get paid. You do it for the privilege of upholding a time-honored tradition. The time commitment is grueling enough. The smell of the head is worse. You never know when you’ll get to use a bathroom, but it doesn’t matter because you sweat so much. You can’t talk and you can barely see. When you are Bucky, everyone wants to shake your hand. All the girls want to hug you, and children are in awe. When you are being Bucky for the first time, you’re confused and disoriented and wondering why you ever got yourself into this. By the time you’re done, you don’t ever want to stop. Being Bucky changes you forever. Meet the seven students who play Bucky Badger, the mascot at the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the 2007-2008 school year. Director Scott Smith grew up in Madison.
Directed by: Scott Smith
Director of Photography and Executive Producer: John Fromstein

Visit the film’s website for more info, to buy tickets and to watch the trailer!

http://www.beingbucky.com/

“BEING BUCKY…had the crowd howling” Duane Dudeck — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“BEING BUCKY is a badger of honor” Jane Burns — The Capital Times

RIFFRAFF
Gene Siskel Film Center
164 North State Street
Chicago, Illinois 60601
t – 312 846 2600
May 29th – June 4th

Produced by part time Columbia College faculty member John Otterbacher, the independent feature film RIFFRAFF is coming to the Gene Siskel Film Center for one week only starting May 29th.

Starring Robert Belushi, this coming of age story is set at Chicago’s North Ave. Beach and follows lifeguards through a summer there. Post Production Audio was completed with the help of a Columbia College AVM3 class taught by Diego Trejo. Many Columbia alumni participated, including cinematographer Kuba Zelazek and supervising sound editor Michael Woodnorth.

Tickets are available at the box office of the Gene Siskel Film Center and through Ticketmaster.

http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/
http://www.ticketmaster.com/

For more info about schedule and cast/crew appearances go to www.riffraffthemovie.com

WIN OR LOSE: A SUMMER CAMP STORY
Highland Park Movie Theater
445 Central Ave
Highland Park, IL.
Sunday May 31st 2009, 11am & 12.15pm

The director and members of the documentary cast will be present for a Q&A after each screening.

The film is a character driven, documentary about boys at summer camp who push themselves to win an ultra competitive event called ‘Collegiate Week.’

During Collegiate Week, every person in camp wants nothing more than to win the first place trophy. Unfortunately, most of them won’t. They may leave camp without a trophy but do leave having learned a valuable lesson: how to lose. Almost all the campers that attend this camp come from the northern suburbs of Chicago such as Glencoe, Deerfield and Highland Park.

Some camps have color wars but Camp Ojibwa has Collegiate Week. It is the end-all be all of camp color-wars. There is nothing like it. Run of the mill nice kids have been known to trash their second place trophies. Older campers lose their head over a shuffle board match. Counselors will break down and cry like babies. Will an ultra competitive winner like Arob learn something about losing? And Charlie Schroeder has never won collegiate week in 9 years. Will he be able to handle another defeat? Then there is the young Jeremy Nachbar. This is his first year as a camper but he’s already giving pep talks just like the older guys. How much will camp change him? By the end of camp one thing is for sure, out of the 12 teams there will be one winner and eleven losers. Competition at Camp Ojibwa teaches kids how to lose. It’s a hard but important lesson to learn.

Buy tickets here:
http://www.winorlosemovie.com/payForHP.html

For more info, visit the film’s website:
www.winorlosemovie.com

THE ART OF PAIN
Gene Siskel Film Center
164 North State Street
Chicago, Illinois 60601
t – 312-846-2600
Movie Hotline – 312-846-2800

Friday, June 5, 8.15pm
Sunday, June 7, 3.00pm
Monday, June 8, 8.15pm
Wednesday, June 10, 8.15pm

Inspire an Artist, Ruin His Life –

Jack works an easy job at the movie theater with his pal Nick, a sci-fi geek, and his aspiring actress girlfriend, Sharon. He used to be a pretty good painter, but there isn’t much inspiration in this zombie-like existence. All of that is about to change. Enter Marcus, a pissed off ninja-in-training with something to prove. Fueled by disgust for Jack’s apathy and a cruel sensei, Marcus takes it upon himself to teach a brutal lesson: Great art comes from great pain. What follows is a bloody trail of seduction, murder and maiming that only a ninja can inflict. Now, painting in a frenzy, Jack must fight not only for his art, but his life.

www.ArtofPainMovie.com