A Voyeur's Take On MIFF

By: Jennifer Wagner

Thursday April 10, 2008

The Best Films Of The Midwest. The First Tuesday Of Every Month.
I am not a film buff by any stretch of the imagination. I'm neither an actor nor a filmmaker; and I've never attempted writing a screenplay. I don't even go to the movies that often. I've not seen some of the biggest classics – Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, American Graffiti, It's a Wonderful Life, Animal House, ET, and on and on. I attend the movies outside in Grant Park here in Chicago every summer, sure, but that's more about having a drunken picnic with my friends and meeting people than enjoying fine film. I'm the picture of ill-informed ignorance, that person who says, "You know that one guy in that one movie where, you know, something bad happened and then it turned out good...you know that one I'm talking about?!" That, sadly, is me.

Then a year or so ago I somehow got free tickets to the Midwest Independent Film Festival and thought I'd check it out. I took our own beloved Static photographer and film aficionado Patrick Sinco, and I'll admit I was a little intimidated going in. My experience with independent film was so limited, I expected like a twelve-minute black and white shot of a high heel resting on it's side on the asphalt of an abandoned parking lot. So imagine my happy surprise when I saw a quality series of four or five short films with complicated scenes, engaging plots, and intricately developed characters, and it was all accessible and I didn't have to try to garner meaning from something really abstract. I was relieved, impressed, and thoroughly entertained in a relaxed atmosphere. The attendees and staff provided a flavor of style, creativity, and sexiness; the festival certainly had a feel of what's hip, but the coolness factor did not override the greater sense that I was participating in unpretentious artistic event.

I recently read a writeup of this film festival, MIFF, and the guy behind it, Chicago native Mike McNamara - Mac. The feature that I read not only reminded me of my great night at the festival, it also annoyed the piss out of me – I found the article verbose milquetoast, a boring take on an exciting happening, and to top it off it was published in a paper that had refused my submissions repeatedly. I thought I could've done a better job, and at the time I was jostling for position among the ranks of Static freelancers and needed to produce a good story anyway, so naturally my interest in taking on this piece about MIFF was suddenly piqued. So with very limited exposure to the festival and even less experience in the film industry, I come in as a bit of a voyeur. With no expertise and no further ado, here's what I spied through the keyhole.

MIFF started out as Chicago Community Cinema and for a few years ran out of the notoriously cheesy downtown Chicago club Excalibur. In 2003, co-founder Mike Kwielford found himself without a Director, and turned to emcee McNamara. A successful stage and screen actor himself, Mac had the right experience under his belt and was quickly becoming integrated in the folds of the independent film community. After some hesitation, he took the gig. Mac explains.

"Basically the event at Excalibur was going to go away if I didn't take on the Director position. I believed in the monthly filmmaking showcase concept, so I accepted it. We were able to build our base and our reputation over the next year or so and soon it became clear that we had outgrown the nightclub venue. We were screening great films and we needed an appropriate venue. At the same time, filmmakers and artists don't really hang out at Excalibur, unless they're in for the weekend from Glen Ellen for a bachelor party or something. We needed a venue that catered to the arts and to our filmmakers."

Planning the new launch under a new name required a huge leap of faith. Mac recalls, "We didn't even know any filmmakers outside of Chicago and we really didn't know everyone in Chicago, either. But I bounced the idea off of Kwiel[ford]...and after some arm-twisting he said let's go for it. And we agreed that we were going to go all out."

Going all out meant securing a space, getting their CCC base excited about the move, and getting word out to the Chicago, Midwest, and film community that MIFF was happening. They needed to start with a bang, and they got their shot: Brian Ross at the Landmark agreed to give the festival a six-month trial run. That all taken care of, they had to think about what films they'd run for the first night of the festival.

"It had to be a big night or we would sputter out by the third month," says McNamara. "Aaron Himelstein of Austin Powers fame...had shot a sharp looking short in Indiana called Sugar Mountain...[he] agreed to fly in for the screening and we had a headliner for our inaugural night. We found three or four other really strong shorts, we added a music video and a couple of trailers and...we finally premiered First Tuesdays with The Midwest Independent Film Festival in May of 2005."

The evening was a smash, with a little help from their friends. "We called absolutely everyone we knew and begged a few others to make sure that place was packed..." These days, Mac doesn't have to beg to fill the house; MIFF has been a standing-room-only event for the past year and a half. But don't let the popularity of the festival these days deceive you; that first year had some rough, touch-and-go moments. "We were kinda running by the seat of our pants every month for the first year," says Mac. "We're not sure what we're even going to screen and we're less than a week away, we're adding films the night before the screening, there were many times I thought this whole Midwest thing just wasn't going to work. But..we provided our filmmakers with a top-tier screening experience over at the Landmark. Little by little, they'd make sure we premiered their next film, they'd have their friends send us their films."

Selecting films for MIFF is a painstaking process, especially with such narrow parameters for eligibility. Mac believes in going after what's out there. "Since our criteria are so specific with the films needed to have such strong Midwest ties to be eligible, if there's a Midwest film that makes a splash at Sundance or SXSW or Tribeca, I'm going after it." Now of course, you can make his job much easier (though perhaps not as much fun as attending the likes of SXSW...) by submitting your film to MIFF yourself. Submissions go through a two-tiered screening process, the final decision made by a committee of directors, producers, and prominent members of the film community. Guidelines for submission are available at http://midwestfilm.com/

One very attractive aspect of the festival is that though the eligibility requirements are stringent in some respects, like geography (they had to draw the line at the eight-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin), the genres run the gamut from documentaries to comedic shorts, and they are open to considering any, absolutely any type of film. Mac playfully expounds: "We welcome porn. Never seen a snuff film so that would definitely be some compelling cinema." But hey, at the end of the day Mac and MIFF have some standards we can all appreciate. "There was a horror film that I thought was pretty darn good...girls go to a volleyball camp at some forest preserve and suddenly people start getting knocked off while they're showering or ironing their skirts or something...[t]here was a ton of nudity but hey, it's a horror flick so I thought we could get away with it. Then in the final 20 minutes of the film, it all goes to hell. One of the volleyballers is being forced to have sex with a man in a leather mask who's cuffed to a bed. After the deed is done, she takes off his mask and she says, 'Daddy?' Stop tape...we're not going to be showing that film..." Thank you, Mac.

In addition to being simply an entertaining evening for anyone, the festival is a nifty networking tool for film industry types; not just in the Midwest, but all over the world. The principle actors, writers, producers, and directors from all the featured films are usually on hand to share in the experience. Pre-show script readings and post show forums help everyone from the casual film fan to the seasoned director deepen their understanding of the films and make connections within the industry as a whole. MIFF always holds discussions with filmmakers after the screenings, which provides a forum for audiences to ask about the films, and for Mac and the staff to get even better acquainted with the filmmakers.

Sometimes, however, Mac's already lucky enough to know the person behind the film quite well. "I was so honored that our festival was given the Midwest premiere of Indestructible. This film is a beautiful piece and it was particularly personal for me. The autobiographical doc revolves around Ben Byer, a Chicago actor/director/playwright who has been diagnosed with ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Well, Ben is a good friend of mine. I followed this documentary being made over the past six years...[l]ast October, Ben gave our festival the Midwest Premiere, we absolutely packed the house. It was an amazing night and Indestructible went on to win our Best of the Midwest Award for 'Best Documentary' in December."

Mac is an intelligent, likable fellow who's real easy to look at. He couldn't be more aptly placed than as MIFF's Director, and the festival itself could not be a better metaphor for the Midwest, Chicago in particular. A unique combination of warmth, down to earth candor, and an inspiring work ethic melds with the culture, style, and sleek savvy provided only in a major metropolitan hub. Mac, his dedicated volunteer staff, and the support of the independent film community reflect these characteristics through their dedication, vision, and passion, and you can share in that every month.

From humble beginnings, MIFF now enjoys continued success. Voted Chicago's Best Bet for 16 months running by Metro Mix and Chicago RedEye, it all takes place at the Landmark Century Cinema, a beautiful, historic building right in the heart of Lincoln Park. MIFF is supported with some big-name sponsors like Screen Magazine and Guinness, and hosts a swank post-show reception at Cousin's Mediterranean restaurant around the corner. The Inn of Chicago is the official hotel sponsor for MIFF (and as an added bonus, a lot of rock stars stay there), so grab your friends whether they know a thing abut the talkies or not, and make a long weekend of it - you deserve it! Come in Friday, get a Museum and CTA pass, check out a Sox game, a play, restaurants and shopping, and top it all off with the best independent films, anywhere. Mac and the Midwest Independent Film Festival will be there, and they are just getting started.

"We are in a really nice place right now. It's extremely fulfilling to see how this film festival has been embraced by our filmmaking community and also how we've succeeded in supporting that community right back...[t]he keys now are to keep raising the bar on all aspects of the festival, to remain fiercely dedicated to bringing the best films out there to our audiences...and to take a second every once in a while to step back and enjoy these First Tuesdays."