Allison Torem

CHICAGO – One of the Midwest Film Festival’s greatest strengths is its sense of community. The way they branch out and reach out to all in the Chicago filmmaker/actor/crew collective is without precedent in this evolving cinema city. Monday, August 28th, will feature Women & Gender Non-Conforming Filmmaker Night, and one of the films making its Chicago debut is “Road Head” by Allison Torem.

CHICAGO – There was no film in 2012 that moved me more deeply or left me feeling more exhilarated than Stephen Cone’s achingly personal masterpiece, “The Wise Kids.” It’s the sort of film that I’ve been hoping to see get made for quite some time. Whereas so many films about people of faith rely on condescending stereotypes to push a contrived agenda, Cone’s picture is humanistic in every sense of the word.

CHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com critic Matt Fagerholm will chat about the latest independent films on Chicago’s Vocalo 89.5 station from 9am to 9:30am on Friday, September 28th. Topics will include Stephen Cone’s acclaimed indie drama, “The Wise Kids,” which is scheduled to have a week-long run at the Gene Siskel Film Center beginning Friday, October 26th.

CHICAGO – It’s not in calm seas but within torrential rains when we lay bare our true colors. Lauded playwright Neil LaBute was fixated on testing these human limits and exploring our different styles of conflict resolution when he minted the three-person play “In a Dark Dark House”.