Bullying, heroin, gun control films part of Naperville festival
Organizers of the ninth annual Naperville Independent Film Festival say they're not making a political statement by showing films about bullying, mental health, heroin, gun control, black market surgeries and vaccines.
They're promoting art.
"We may not agree with all the content," said Mary Ellen Fieseler, a volunteer organizer of the fest. "But we judge on how it's displayed and presented."
"Every filmmaker has the right to tell a story through visual art," festival co-founder Edmond Coisson said. "It's a visual freedom of expression."
That freedom will take to the screen in 41 films to be shown at Hollywood Palms Cinema Sept. 10-17 as the festival moves to a new location.
A jury of six movie buffs with expertise in TV or film selected the festival films from more than 100 entries.
Opening night Saturday, Sept. 10, features three films and the closing ceremony Saturday, Sept. 17, features trailers of award winners. In between, during showings at 5 and 7 p.m., viewers will be treated to one or two short films and one feature. Each showing costs $9, except the closing ceremony, which is $16.
Local films include "Kids in Toyland," "Finding Hope" and "I'm Fine." Chosen not because they were filmed in or near Naperville but because they impressed jurors, these three offer an illustration of the variety to be displayed during the eight-day event.
"I'm Fine" is a suicide prevention film shot in Naperville by Nickel A Day Films and a mental health nonprofit called Hope For The Day.
The film, to be shown at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, aims to end the silence around suicide by showing how characters cope after a girl ends her life.
"Kids in Toyland," part of the 5 p.m. seating Sunday, Sept. 11, is an anti-bullying story directed by Billy Surges and written by Erin Feeney of Naperville, who has cerebral palsy. Actors are teens and young adults in the SPECTRUM program for people with disabilities offered by Artful Impact!, a nonprofit that encourages growth through the arts.
Fieseler said festival organizers will give each "Kids in Toyland" actor a participation trophy to show appreciation.
Other films can win trophies in categories such as best film, best director, best animation and, new this year, an audience choice award. Of the 41 films, 35 are up for awards.
One early fan favorite appears to be "Finding Hope," which Coisson said was shot in Oswego and Montgomery. Hope, in the film, is a young wife with amnesia whose husband must help her fall in love with him again.
So many tickets have been sold for the showing at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, that Hollywood Palms moved the event to a larger theater than the 100-seat space where the rest of the films are set to be screened.
"We're always looking for something else that we can offer," said Donnacha Kelly in marketing and design for the theater. "It's wonderful to have a film festival to cultivate interest in cinema."
After the festival, there will be six more nights of films at Smith Hall inside Old Main at North Central College, 30 N. Brainard St. The audience choice will be presented at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, and the remaining nights will feature 21 films that won awards during the European Independent Film Festival in Paris.
Combining the European films and those shown as part of the festival itself, 10 countries will be represented.
In the past, European films were shown on the same nights as the film festival.
Organizers changed the schedule to increase viewing options. Coisson suggests checking out the schedule at naperfilmfest.org or grabbing a program guide from Hollywood Palms to plan ahead.
"We're giving a slice of culture," he said, "from all over the world."
If you go
What: Ninth annual Naperville Independent Film Festival
When: Festival films shown Saturday, Sept. 10, through Saturday, Sept. 17; films from the European Independent Film Festival in Paris shown Sunday, Sept. 18 through Friday, Sept. 23
Where: Festival films shown at Hollywood Palms Cinema, 352 Route 59, Naperville; ECU films shown in Smith Hall inside Old Main at North Central College, 30 N. Brainard St., Naperville
Cost: $9 per showing, each showing includes two short films and a feature-length film
Info: <a href="http://naperfilmfest.org/">naperfilmfest.org</a>