The only two Illinois-made films will be screening among the 34 selections of at the 15th annual Route 66 Film Festival, Nov. 4-5 at the Capital City Bar & Grill Theatre, in Springfield.
The two shorts showcasing on opening night are Chicago-made. One is the 8-minute “timely political thriller” “Democracy in the Driver’s Seat,” written, directed and edited by Gail Gilbert of Cerise Films and winner of a top prize at the Oxford International Film Festival last June.
It’s paired with 38-minute “Broiled,” from Megan St. John’s Chicago-based Third Wheel Entertainment. Written and directed by St. John, the dark comedy is about two girls and two boys in a rural America who coincidentally rob the same bank on the same day.
“Broiled” was filmed in Central Illinois’ towns of Oregon, Maple Park, Malta and Kingston in summer of 2015. It won the Best Illinois Film prize at the 2016 Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival.
The Route 66 Festival will screen 34 films, mostly comedy shorts, in nine categories. Prizes will be awarded for Best of Festival, Foreign Short, Debut Film, Experiment and Mockumentary.
