COD Professor’s Film Slated for Chicago International Film Festival

“The Girls on Liberty Street,” the second feature film by College of DuPage Motion Picture/TV Professor John Rangel, will premiere as part of the New Directors Competition at the 49th Annual Chicago International Film Festival, at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, at the AMC River East Theaters in Chicago.

Rangel said he’d been thinking of his next feature film since the premiere of his first endeavor, “south loop,” in 2011.

“My first film was like my first pancake,” he said. “It was good, but the edges weren’t perfect. Maybe it wasn’t exactly round. You learn quite a bit and you want to improve those areas where you could have done better.”

With a myriad of ideas, Rangel was able to fine tune his plot, which centers on a teenager girl on the verge of leaving for basic training in the Army. With only a week left at home, she’s trying to make sure it will be the same place when she returns.

Rangel and fellow producer David Rokos knew they wanted to apply for the Chicago International Film Festival, but were pleasantly surprised to find the final work would be included in the New Directors Competition.

“The movie was edited, but the sound was a temporary mix. We got word of the competition in July, so we had to quickly get everything together,” Rangel said. “It’s certainly exciting and the feedback we’ve received so far has been amazing.”

For more information on “The Girls on Liberty Street” and the Chicago International Film Festival, click here.