A Final Fest Sneaks In

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on May 3, 2005 1:03PM

When Chicagoist saw a notice yesterday for the Midwest Independent Film Festival, we were stunned; we thought we were finished with the spring round of fests. Turns out we were right as the MWFF is a clever re-naming of the Chicago Community Cinema, a monthly screening of the best short films and videos “from the eight-state Midwest region” (we’re guessing that’s Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Ohio).

May’s program features a video from Do Or Die with a guest appearance by Kanye West; Mindy, a much-lauded hit from the festival circuit about the kindness of strangers; an interview with John Landis and an animated romantic comedy with ninjas (exactly what’s been missing from all those Kate Hudson movies!). The headliner will be a film from Buffalo Grove native Aaron Himelstein, who plays Friedman on Joan of Arcadia. According to the press release, Himelstein’s film Sugar Mountain is the story “about how we are forced to grow up as we age and the way we never quite let go of our innocent, childhood years.”

The MWFF starts at 7:30 tonight (doors at 6:30) at the Landmark with an after-party at Monsoon (2813 N. Broadway). Admission is $10 or $7 for students with ID. It returns on the first Tuesday of every month with a new batch of films. Watch for announcements on their website or submit your own film here.