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Film Fri Apr 09 2010
South Loop Film Festival Shows Midwest Pride
The first annual South Loop Film Festival took place last night at the Showplace Icon Theater at Roosevelt Collection. The festival was a compilation of independent shorts (under ten minutes), all with connections to the Midwest. The exhibition was eclectic, ranging from documentaries to drama to animations and even a music video. All festival-goers took home goody bags from Whole Foods, the festival's main sponsor.
The audience-chosen winner was Chicken Cowboy, an animation reminiscent in its humor of "SpongeBob SquarePants" and remarkably impressive animation. Unfortunately, the director, Stephen Neary was not on hand for the question and answer period that followed the screening.
The most moving piece was Heartland Transport, directed by Cody Stokes. It documented a group of gay couples that chartered a bus from Missouri to Iowa after the Iowa courts upheld the ruling that no citizens could be denied a marriage license based on their sexual orientation. Stokes proved to be a truly talented storyteller in just 8 minutes.
The festival included two world premieres, eleven Chicago premieres and it was successful in its organization, curation and attendance. Here's hoping there is a Second Annual South Loop Film Festival.
