“Monsters and superheroes” are the rage at this year’s Chicago Short Comedy Video and Film Festival, according to fest coordinator Willy Laszlo. “Each and every year there’s a common theme, but it’s all by sheer chance,” Laszlo insisted.
The seventh annual fest, which runs July 23 at the Biograph Theater, boasts heavy hitters like Second City co-owner Andrew Alexander, and “MADtv” writer/cast member Stephanie Weir.
Laszlo and Weir collaborated on the new short “My Blood Doesn’t Clot Right,” “about tourists who get left off their tour bus.” Weir, formerly of Second City and ImprovOlympic, headlines the 8 p.m. show, screening “My Blood” along with eight other shorts by local filmmakers.
Also in the 8 o’clock show, Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, Mitch Rouse and Steven Colbert of “Strangers with Candy” present their earlier work, the high school tale “How to be Popular.”
Alexander heads up the 10 p.m. program, screening clips from the new DVD box set of “SCTV,” which he produced.
Laszlo reunited with regular collaborators David Pasquesi and T.J. Jagodowski and DP Pete Biagi for their annual fest entry, “Dock,” “a conversation between smokers at a loading dock,” screening with twelve other shorts in the 10 p.m. slot.
For the midnight show, the Comedy Fest waives its twelve-minute time limit for the 50-minute cross-country adventure “Mile Marker” by commercial vet Leroy Koetz and former “MADtv” writer Rich Talarico, who recently landed a gig with “Saturday Night Live.” A five-minute clip of “Mile Marker” screened at last year’s fest.
Among its 26 shorts, the fest also features entries from regular contributors Bill Ward, Steve Stein, and Monsters from the Id.
Laszlo, a producer for Comcast Cable, founded the Comedy Fest seven years ago with Miriam Sours of Wits’ End Productions as a vehicle for local filmmakers. “All the films were made by filmmakers who were a resident of the Chicago area at the time the film was made,” Laszlo said. “That’s what separates our film festival from everybody else’s.”
After a drop-off to about 60 entries in the past couple years, Laszlo said submissions returned to their regular level of around 80 this year. “Because of bad economic times people weren’t going out and making shorts, but it’s been starting to pick up again,” he said. “The quality gets better every year.”
The Chicago Short Comedy Video and Film Festival is Friday, July 23 at the Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln. Separate admission for each show ? $10 for the 8 and 10 p.m. shows, $7 for the midnight show. For reservations call 312/458-9597. For info call Sours at 312/642-2156 or see www.witsendshorts.com.
? by Ed M. Koziarski, edk@homesickblues.com
