‘Thieves Quartet,’
‘Quarter Life Crisis,’
‘Clarence Elkins,’ and
‘Rendezvous in Chicago’
light up the largest
ad-supported
VOD service on earth
A quartet of films made in and around Chicago will premiere this month on Tubi, the world’s largest ad-supported video-on-demand service. Distributed by Cow Lamp Films, the only indie distributor in the Midwest, the work reflects a growing and diverse and indie motion picture industry.
Thieves Quartet
Thieves Quartet is a cold winter crime picture with noir underpinnings that examines class and race in the 1990s. The directorial debut of Joe Chappelle — whose TV canon includes The Wire, Godfather of Harlem, Chicago Fire, Fringe, and CSI: Miami — it tells the story of four lost souls who each seek a second chance to begin life anew with a scheme to score a quick $2 million. Betrayal, kidnapping, and murder ensue.
Variety’s Steve Gaydos praised the film’s irresistible “textures and terrains,” adding that the director skillfully uses the genre as a “low-budget path to self-expression and gainful employment.” In Chappelle’s own words, it’s “like watching a lost episode of The Wire, set in Chicago.”
JOE CHAPPELLE | COW LAMP FILMS
THIEVES QUARTET
Conviction: The True Story of Clarence Elkins
Conviction: The True Story of Clarence Elkins is a story about an Ohio man who was wrongfully convicted of murder and rape. With the help of his wife and the Ohio Innocence Project, viewers hear story that would be unbelievable if it weren’t true. Narrated by Cold Case Files and American Greed producer Mike West and presented by Executive Producer Bill Kurtis, the film won People’s Choice in the International Cleveland Film Festival.
MIKE WEST | COW LAMP FILMS
CONVICTION: THE TRUE STORY OF CLARENCE ELKINS
Quarter Life Crisis
Premiering November 15, Quarter Life Crisis is a documentary inspired by the suicide of the producer’s friend, Eugene Eberly. It searches to discover the causes and dispel the myths of modern society’s hardships, including misguided parenting, endless comparisons of lives over social media, and established institutions no longer guaranteeing happiness and prosperity. The directorial debut of Jordan Amandes, the film won Best Editing at Docs Without Borders Film Festival 2018 and Best Documentary at Los Angeles CineFest 2018 and Hollywood Now Film Festival 2018.
JORDAN AMANDES | COW LAMP FILMS
QUARTER LIFE CRISIS
Rendezvous in Chicago
A Windy City favorite since it premiered in 2018, writer/director Michael Glover Smith’s Rendezvous in Chicago has been taking festivals by storm for over a year. Featuring a short, comedic trio of vignettes that correspond to the beginning, middle, and end stages of a relationship, it has earned Audience Choice at the Tallahassee and Adirondack Film Festivals, and Best Comedy at the George Lindsey Film Festival and Strasburg Film Festival.
Rotten Tomatoes gives Rendezvous a “100% Fresh” rating and The Chicago Sun Times says that the film “feels like eavesdropping on clever conversations.”
MICHAEL GLOVER SMITH | COW LAMP FILMS
RENDEZVOUS IN CHICAGO
Thieves Quartet and Conviction: The True Story of Clarence Elkins began streaming November 1 for free on Tubi. Rendezvous in Chicago and Quarter Life Crisis will be streaming for free beginning November 15, 2019. For updates and availability, check out Cow Lamp Films.
About Cow Lamp Films
Cow Lamp Films is the Midwest’s first and only full-service, independent film and television distributor. Cow Lamp Films provides full-service distribution opportunities to independent filmmakers that are difficult to access without the support of large studios.
Send your indie news to Reel Chicago Editor Dan Patton, dan@reelchicago.com.
