Palatine native creates local Blue Whiskey film festival

If you don't know Michael Noens' name yet, you will.

The Palatine native and graduate of Fremd High School has been making independent movies for several years with CNGM, a group of Fremd graduates.

Now, Noens, 25, has founded the Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival. Thirty-two scheduled features and shorts start Thursday and run through Saturday at the Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center, 150 E. Wood St., Palatine.

So, just how did he come up with the festival's name?"Unfortunately, there isn't a clever reason for the festival's name," Noens said. "Audiences should also not expect to see whiskey-based pornographic films, either, seeing as I have learned that 'blue' films are apparently those kind of films."The Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival got its name because I have always loved the way those two words sounded together. They sound smooth and classy. I like smooth and classy. Don't you?"Come on, does Chicagoland need another film festival?"As an independent filmmaker, I don't feel there are many film festivals that put all their focus on the story," Noens said. "Yeah, special effects are cool. Flashy cinematography can be fun, too. But it's all easily forgotten without truly creative and unique storytelling."What's the vision for the future of Blue Whiskey?"In the long term, I'd like BWIFF to be a Chicagoland-based film festival that brings audiences cutting-edge stories," Noens said. "A place where big names and no names are seen as equals. We want to showcase works by filmmakers that believe original ideas still exist. Because they do."So why are movies so important?"Movies are important because they are an incredibly powerful form of storytelling," Noens said. "Movies take you somewhere else for a period of time to either help you forget about your problems and enjoy someone else's story, or they can keep you closer to home."Movies are important because they impact our lives. It is my opinion that many people in Hollywood have forgotten that some time ago. Today, it seems like we have 12 to 15 movies coming out every week and we're lucky if just one of them is any good."What do you mean?"Movies are meant to entertain, not to dumb us down. We need films that aren't afraid to go back to the basics, utilizing those tools and explore new ideas or combinations. Those are the kinds of films we will focus on at BWIFF."How did attending Fremd High School help in your post-education life?"The Fremd High School Theatre Department taught me so much, specifically working with Judy Klingner the theater director and English teacher," Noens said. "Most of what I've learned about film directing I learned as a stage actor there and by working with Klingner."She didn't tell us what to do. She created a space for us as actors to play and explore. It was where I first learned how important collaboration and trust was to the process."What's the next Noens project coming down the pike?"I'm currently in post production on my latest feature project, 'Two Days in February'," Noens said. "The film takes you into the mind of a young adult male facing sudden heartbreak. I'd consider it definitely much more of a personal piece compared to my past projects."Anything else?"I've got a couple of projects currently in the funding process," he said. "The first is titled 'Fortress of Forever,' about the struggles of a college graduate finding his place in life during a poor economy."The second is titled 'Vanilla,' written by my good friend and colleague David B. Grelck which is a sweet, romantic comedy about swinging."No sarcasm intended."False20001125Michael Noens, left, shares a laugh with fellow CNGM partners Steve Coulter and David Grelck at the Cedar Rapids Film Fest. False <p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p><p class="News"><b>Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival</b></p><p class="News"><b>Times and events:</b> Starts Wednesday with a series of music videos and a live concert featuring Mount Prospect talent Chris Petlak, all at the Fred P. Hall Amphitheater, 626 E. Palatine Road, Palatine.</p><p class="News">Thirty-two features and shorts will be shown starting Thursday at the Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center, 150 E. Wood St., Palatine. The festival continues through Saturday, July 24, then wraps Sunday, July 25, with an awards brunch at Hotel Indigo, 920 E. Northwest Hwy., Palatine.</p><p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> An all-festival pass costs $40. Afternoon or evening sessions cost $12.</p><p class="News"><b>Information:</b> <a href="http://bwiff.com" target="new">bwiff.com</a></p>