Local film to premiere in Elk Grove Village

In the world of independent films, there's low-budget, microbudget, and no-budget. With a total production cost of under 20K, the independent Dark Comedy “Girl in the Refrigerator” would qualify as a no-budget film.

“Multi-tasking was key,” states screenwriter James Ziolkowski. Besides writing the script, Ziolkowski was the producer, co-director, script supervisor, set designer, and was also in charge of storyboards, props, casting, and catering.

“Catering was the easy part,” he jokes. “It was mostly ham sandwiches, water, and beer.”

“You really have to think outside the box when you're trying to keep the cost that low. We turned a conference room into a courtroom. A parking lot into a highway. And a study hall into a movie theater.”

The Dark Comedy that revolves around a theater manager who accidentally kills his girlfriend and then attempts to remove her body from his busy apartment complex was shot primarily in the Des Plaines/Mount Prospect area.

“The majority of our cast and crew worked other jobs while filming, so this was definitely a passion project,” says Ziolkowski.

The movie at one point pays a surprising tribute to the great silent films of the 1920s and features original music from local silent film organist Jay Warren. The movie's Director J. Francis Juelkuvsky believes any time you can introduce a new audience to the work of Buster Keaton, that's a good thing.

“Girl in the Refrigerator” was an official selection at the Indie Gathering International Film Festival and played to an enthusiastic crowd in Cleveland this past August.

“Girl in the Refrigerator” makes its Chicago area premiere at Elk Grove Classic Cinemas at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The film is rated R.

Tickets are currently available on the Elk Grove Classic Cinemas website or at the box office.