Quriosity Productions is one of ten Chicago filmmakers whose 60-second films will lend reel local flavor to the 51st Chicago International Film Festival in introducing CIFF’S 143 feature films to audiences Oct. 15-29 at the AMC Theatres.
Quriosity’s introduction film will debut Opening Night as the prelude to the festival’s Special Presentation of “Mia Madre,” starring John Turturro, playing at the Auditorium Theatre, starting with Red Carpet arrivals at 5:30 p.m.
Headed by executive producer Qadree Holmes, Quriosity was one of nine local production houses that responded to CIFF’s September call for program-introduction ideas to be based on the festival’s new theme of “Everyone Loves Film.”
The tenth film, “Let’s Catch a Movie,” was submitted by 12-year old filmmaker Emma Penaz Eisner, who has been a two-time winner of CIFF-sponsored free festival, CineYouth, that showcases the work of student filmmakers 22 and younger.
Quriosity’s submitted freelance creative director/writer Susan Schmidt’s concept — that people have the same passionate, romantic connections of love for films as they do with people.
Schmidt collaborated with Quriosity directors Herman Asph (also DP), Will Meyers and Eric Almond, whose individual interpretation were integrated into the 60-second piece.
“Collectively, we wanted to ask the viewer to blur the lines between which story is real life and which is the film,” says Quriosity editor Curtis Schmidt. “We used different color correction palettes in post to make each story its own.”
The female voiceover was narrated in French, with English subtitles, and the music score was supplied by Music Dealers. Qadree Holmes was EP; Patrick Richter, who also was post producer, and Adora Wilson-Eye were line producers; editorial assistant was Felix Pineiro and CRC’s Mark Ruff engineered sound.
See the Quriosity intro here.
Here are the other eight intros that will be seen throughout CIFF, Oct. 15-29.
“Dinner and A Movie,” director, Jack C. Newell
“Film Lover,” director, Andy Berlin
“I Got the Popcorn!” director, Michael P. Caplan
“Night of the Living Moviegoers” director, Kaitlin Martin
“Resonance,” director, Mason Thorne
“Semblance of a Scene,” director, Sam Parker
“You Can Film Anything” director, Ken Nordine
“Zaynab Loves Movies” director, Wendy Roderweiss
These films also represent the first new introduction to festival films in 50 years, since the distinctive bass of Ken Nordine’s voiceover began welcoming the audience in 1964.
