The Chicagoist will be launching later but in the meantime please enjoy our archives.

Join the Indiefestivities

By chicago_chris in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 2, 2004 4:44PM

2004_08_movies_indiefest.gif If you want to see some truly independent films (and the Biograph, before it's converted into a stage theatre), head down there all this week for Indiefest. Their website describes the event as, "Incorporating a film festival, a well-known screenwriting contest, a film and script market, and a ten-day party, Indiefest brings the world's film community to the beautiful city of Chicago." Calling our city "beautiful," eh? The programmers sure know the way to our hearts. Plus, Chicagoist will take any excuse to party for ten days.

The movies screening aren't your father’s independent films or ones that will play at festivals all around the world and show up on IFC or Sundance Channel. Instead, they are low-budget, DIY labors of love. (Well, okay, one of them is by a Coppola, but still...) Now, this means that the program's quality probably won’t be consistent, but it's definitely worth taking a chance, if for no other reason than to support some actually starving artists. Even better, several of the showings are world premieres, so you never know what you might be the first to find. To play it safe, August 4 is "Comedy Day," and Chicagoist knows from experience that it's always easier to make a cheap comedy movie than a cheap dramatic one. See the whole schedule here. Tickets are $10.