[NEohioPAL][OIFF-News] IMPORTANT INDEPENDENT FILMS UNSPOOL IN THE MIDWEST

[oiff2001]

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Get A Free Psychic Reading!
Your Online Answer To Life's Important Questions.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/cjB9SD/od7FAA/uetFAA/W4IolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

IMPORTANT INDEPENDENT FILMS UNSPOOL IN THE MIDWEST

For Immediate Release: May 1, 2003

Contact: Annetta Marion or Bernadette Gillota, Co-Artistic and=20
Executive Directors, (216) 651-7315

Cleveland, Ohio-In keeping with Independent Pictures' tradition
of presenting extraordinary films one wouldn't ordinarily see,=20
Independent Pictures and Madstone collaborate for FILM FORWARD!=20=20
Think of it as your own private Sundance screening room right here on=20
Coventry in Cleveland, Ohio.  Now you can see independent films=20
stripped of their hype, PR and niche marketing campaigns.  It's=20
cinema for cinema's sake with films straight from the world's most=20
prestigious festivals.  These days, young filmmakers face not only=20
the problem of getting a film made, but also the problem of getting=20
it shown and seen.  Film Forward offers a new avenue to film=20
exhibition.  For six weeks starting May 1, Madstone Centrum Theatre=20
presents six independent films worth your time.=20

BUNNY-A truly original feature debut, Bunny is the story of two=20
lovers, Nik (Edward Dratver) and Luda (Petra Tikalova), who flee a=20
war torn, eastern European country and land in Los Angeles.=20=20
Desperate to find work, they accept jobs with an experimental public=20
works program.  Dressed as pink bunnies, they squat speechless on=20
street corners.  Offering solace to the city's downtrodden, they are=20
humped by dogs, hugged by humans, and clung to by suicidal=20
businessmen.  But cracks develop in their relationship as Nik finds=20
the job depressing and Luda finds it oddly empowering.  Bunny is an=20
offbeat social critique and a surreal look at America through the=20
eyes of foreigners.  With heartbreakingly real performances, Bunny is=20
an irreverent and intelligent film about isolation and hope.=20=20
Showing: MAY 1 through MAY 14, **Director Mia Trachinger will be on=20
hand after the 7:00 pm showing on Thursday, May 1st for a Q & A=20
discussion.

SOFT FOR DIGGING-Soft for Digging trails an old man searching for his=20
cat in the remote Maryland woods where he encounters a mysterious=20
little girl, a horrible act of violence and a menacing priest.  With=20
only three lines of dialogue, it's an experimental trip for those who=20
prefer eerie to gory.  "With no dialogue," muses Petty, "you have no=20
idea what's going on - that's when you feel like a kid with monsters=20
under your bed.  "Breathing life into the tired terror genre, Soft=20
for Digging is a murder mystery with none of the expected clich=E9s
and a horror film where evil is a whisper instead of a scream.=20=20
Showing: MAY 1 through MAY 14.

TE AMO (Made in Chile)-Working with first-time actors, including son=20
Adrian, filmmaker Sergio Castilla creates a powerful, romantic film=20
about global youth and alienation.  Four Chilean teenagers escape=20
domestic isolation and abuse by retreating to an abandoned house in=20
the woods.  Here they spend the summer getting high, playing music=20
and making movies while exploring intimacy and emotion.  "Nobody has=20
ever made a film about what it was like for me and my friends growing=20
up," says Castilla, a Chilean-born New Yorker, "the other side of=20
Chile, not just a land of poverty."  With vivid cinematography and=20
colorful realism, Te Amo (Made in Chile) is a vibrant experience that=20
captures and releases the emotional pace of rebellious youth.=20=20
Showing: MAY 15 through MAY 28.

TATTOO, A LOVE STORY-Finally, a romantic comedy about a mismatched=20
couple that won't make you cringe.  Tattoo, A Love Story is the tale=20
of Sara, Idaho's "Teacher of the Year" whose perfectly ordered life=20
is shaken up when a giant tattoo artist is brought into class for=20
show-and-tell.  "There are so many romantic comedies about beautiful=20
people falling in love in New York or LA," says filmmaker Richard W.=20
Bean.  "That's honestly not what most couples go through-we wanted to=20
show that it is not that easy."  As intrigue turns to attraction, the=20
question remains: can Sara find happiness with this good-hearted=20
rebel and his off-kilter pals?  Or, does she stay in the seemingly=20
perfect, albeit unsatisfying relationship with her fianc=E9e?  A
savvy, charming film that doubles as a discourse on skin ink - those=20
who love it, hate it, and those who wish they had the guts to try it.=20
Showing: MAY 15 through MAY 27.

SIDE STREETS-Dreams, frustrations and desires unfold and connect=20
throughout the diverse New York City boroughs in Side=20
Streets.  "Everyone in Side Streets is on a journey," says filmmaker=20
Tony Gerber, "striving for something they think is desperately=20
missing from their lives."  An aspiring fashion designer struggles to=20
make it in SOHO.  A Romanian butcher's apprentice tries to get rich=20
quick in Queens.  An Indian movie star burdens his brother's humble=20
home on Staten Island.  A Brooklyn wife holds the key to her=20
husband's new Cadillac.  A Bronx teen dreams of a loyal boyfriend and=20
a beauty pageant crown.  Side Streets is a funny, poignant essay on=20
relationships, the commonality of human dreams, and the unexpected=20
places they can lead us.  Showing: MAY 29 through JUNE 11, **Director=20
Tony Gerber will be on hand after the 9:00 pm show on
Thursday, May 29 for a Q & A discussion.=20

SEVEN AND A MATCH-Seven and a Match takes a sly and unnerving spin on=20
the reunion genre, cutting straight to the stuff that makes and=20
breaks relationships.  Facing the loss of a summer home she inherited=20
from her deceased parents, Ellie (Tina Holmes) invites six of her=20
friends for a reunion weekend on the rural, Maine property.  But is=20
there a more ominous reason she has invited them there?  Old=20
passions, new loves, financial problems, and jealousies take over as=20
the seven friends reconnect, relate and reevaluate the paths of their=20
own lives.  With a soundtrack as eclectic as its characters, Seven=20
and a Match is a provocative exploration of friendship, infidelity,=20
and choices.  Showing:  MAY 29 through JUNE 11.

For more information, check out www.madstonetheaters.com/filmforward

INDEPENDENT PICTURES' SPONSORS: The George Gund Foundation, The=20
Cleveland Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, Association of Independent=20
Video & Filmmakers, Media Design Imaging, Cleveland Public Theatre,=20
www.WritersScriptNetwork.com
___________________________________________________________________

Independent Pictures
1392 West 65th Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44102 USA
(216) 651-7315
(216) 651-7317 Fax
OhioIndieFilmFest at juno.com
www.ohiofilms.com





To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
oiff-News-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com

=20

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/=20