from June 21, 2007

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Jeff Garlin and Sarah Silverman in “I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With”

JEFF GARLIN’S “I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With,” based on his one-man Second City show, set in Chicago and many of the exteriors and interiors shot here and some in L.A., gets an IFC First Take theatrical/broadcast release Sept. 5.

Garlin stars with Sarah Silverman, Dan Castellaneta, Gina Gershon, Tim Kazurinsky, and Steve Dahl, among many others. Pete Biagi was DP.

Garlin plays Larry David’s agent in “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which returns to HBO for its fifth season in September.

Malik Bader in “Street Thief”

MALIK BADER’S “Street Thief” plays June 21 at 10 p.m. and June 22 at 2 a.m. on A&E. Bader stars in the verité-style feature as a commercial burglar looking for a way out of the business. Featuring Wesley Walker. Malik’s brother Sam produced. I was line producer.

“Street Thief” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, where A&E started negotiations with Bader’s sales agent Film Sales Company. A&E Indie will also release the pic on DVD.

Tatiana Tien in “Buscando a Leti”

DALIA TAPIA shoots her second feature “Silent Shame” June 20-July 25. “Silent Shame” is the story of a young man whose mother died of AIDS, searching for and reconnecting with his estranged father.

Tapia’s first feature, “Buscando a Leti (In Search of Leti)” was released on DVD last year after premiering at the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival. The short version of that film, “Buscando a Lety,” has played in regular rotation on cable network SíTV.

Tatiana Tien, Carmen Cenko, Juan Mañuel and Rosa Isela Frausto star.

See www.daliatapia.com.

Buddha Monk and Silk Ski in “Rock the Bells”

“ROCK THE BELLS,” by former Chicagoans Casey Suchan and Denis Henry Hennelly has its Chicago theatrical premiere at the Gene Siskel Film Center from Seventh Art Releasing.

Rock the Bells is a documentary that follows the drama surrounding the tumultuous Wu-Tang Clan reunion concert months before the death of member Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

“Rock the Bells” had its Chicago premiere at the Midwest Independent Film Festival. It plays June 30-July 5 at various times. For a schedule see www.siskelfilmcenter.org.

Joe Schenck (left) and Tom Bailey in “soulMaid”

SPLIT PILLOW has signed with distributor Ariztical for the DVD release of gay comedy “soulMaid,” in a deal that makes it the first profitable film in the nonprofit film collective’s half-decade history. Ariztical released Split Pillow’s second feature “Brushfires.”

Jeff Maccubbin, Jeff McHale, Dan Mohr and Joe Steiff each directed segments of the campy religious cult romp, starring Joe Schenck, Tom Bailey and Becca Connolly. “soulMaid” screened June 9 at NewFest, the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Film Festival, and at the Breckenridge, Colo. Film Festival.

Split Pillow continues to ramp up its active production slate for its sixth season. Brian Fox produced the company’s first HD feature, the conspiracy thriller “The Disappearance of Daniel Dodger,” which will premiere this fall to open the season.

Executive director Jason Stephens is producing an adaptation of Andrei Bely’s novel “ Petersburg .” David J. Evans is producing “Curse of the Sandman,” adapted from E.T.A. Hoffman’s horror short story “The Sandman.”

Split Pillow is accepting proposals for the third installment of its omnibus documentary series “Chicago360.”

See www.splitpillow.com. —Ed M. Koziarski

Ed M. Koziarski is co-director of the feature film “The First Breath of Tengan Rei”. Email:

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