Eligible filmmakers are encouraged to submit to the first Oak Park, IL Film Festival, taking place Saturday September 14th at Madison Street Theater 1010 Madison St., Oak Park.
The all-day festival will focus on independent films that have an Oak Park connection. The connection could be through a cast or crew member who is a current or former resident of Oak Park, a shooting location or subject matter. Submission with connections to sister city River Forest, will also be considered.
Films submissions are being accepted through Film Freeway until July 31. The early bird deadline is June 30. The categories are Narrative Feature , Narrative Shorts, Documentary, Music Videos, Animation, and Young Filmmaker (18 or under). First time filmmakers and members of underrepresented communities are encouraged to submit. All entries will automatically be considered for additional categories , such as acting and directing for no additional fee.
Actor Joyce Porter came up with the idea for the festival based upon her experiences attending multiple festivals over the last 2 years as the solo performer in the microfilm Stairs. She appeared in festivals throughout the Midwest, California, New York, and even Cannes France. As she went to the festivals, she observed what elements of them she liked, or felt were lacking, and had a vision of a festival that would incorporate the best elements of them with a local focus. She knew that she could not create this festival by herself, both because of the amount of work involved, and her lack of technical expertise. She posted some notices on social media about a planning meeting and waited to see who would show up
“I was thrilled with the enthusiasm and technical abilities of the people who showed up at the meeting,” said Porter. “As soon as I explained my concept, I immediately got comments such as ‘I can create a website’ and ‘I can do editing’ and I knew we were on our way to something exciting.”
The board is currently working on publicity and financial support. The festival has already received a grant from the village and is in talks with other possible funding sources.
The Saturday festival will begin with a continental breakfast open to all. There will be a filmmakers’ lounge that will include lunch and snacks and beverages throughout the day. After each block of films there will be Q & A’s. Oak Park native Warren Trezevant, an animator who worked for Pixar for several years is flying in from California to be a guest speaker. There will also be a panel, which is currently being developed. Already included is composer Tony Scott-Green.
The Saturday festival will be preceded by a red-carpet gala screening at the historic Lake Theater at 1022 Lake St. in Oak Park on Thursday, September 12. That evening will feature a screening of a new edition of The Abyss, starring Oak Parker Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. There will also be step and repeat photos and an introduction to the film by Dr. Deborah Holdstein.
Board members besides Porter are Mike Awe, Eric Henry, Byron Leonard, Chris Rooney, Matt Soble, Charlie Sweitzer, and Mike Wendling. Festival photographer is Claudia Maslon.
It is expected that some or all of the festival will be sold out in advance so it is suggested that anyone interested in attending sign up for the festival email list. for more information VISIT HERE.
Questions can be addressed to team@opilff.org.
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