IU Cinema screens local films

IU student and community member films will be shown in the “Made in Indiana” film series April 30 through May 3 at the IU Cinema.

The series, which consists of seven programs and dozens of films, features many genres.

“Student work ranges from experimental to narrative to 3-D films, so every genre is represented,” IU Cinema Director Jon Vickers said.

“Same with the local films, there’s documentary and even short slasher films. There is really quite a range.”

Vickers said a few of the films will also be screened at Cannes Film Festival.

“There are gems in each of the programs,” Vickers said. “There is something for
everyone.”

The series opens today with “Mudcity,” a 35-minute road movie written and directed by IU student Curt Miller.

The series also features several programs of film shorts, 3-D films and an action-adventure film adapting acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” into a modern tale, according to a press release.

“I cannot adequately express how wonderful this is for filmmakers, students, faculty and audiences alike,” Susanne Schwibs, a lecturer in the Department of Communication and Culture, said in a press release.

“It not only gives aspiring artists a chance to screen their work in one of the best cinemas in the country, it also shows moviegoers the great range and depth of creative activity close to home, and it will likely inspire further filmmaking endeavors.”

“Student Seven,” the student and alumni-made film, has been described as “Harry Potter meets Bruce Lee,” its producer, Chelsey McKrill, said.

The film, which was made with support from the IU Telecommunications Department and Martial Arts Program, was originally formatted as a multi-part web series.

“For the cinema, we put the web episodes together, and it plays like an hour-long film,” McKrill said.

“Having the opportunity to screen new media medium in traditional cinema is a cool experience for us.”

McKrill said the “Made in Indiana” series offers the perfect format to premiere
her film.

“I’m graduating in May, and I’m not walking,” she said. “Instead of having family fly in for the ceremony, I’m having them fly in to see this film. This is my graduation moment, not the actual ceremony.”

Full Schedule
All events are free and screened at the IU Cinema.

“Mudcity”
7 p.m. today
The film, produced by Curt Miller as his honors thesis for the Department of Communication and Culture, tells the story of a young drifter who finds a box of photographs and cassette tapes in a recently deceased woman’s phone and decides to seek out the woman’s son.

3-D Student Film Showcase
6:30 p.m. Tuesday
The series is presented in cooperation with the Advanced Visualization Lab, Department of Telecommunications and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Informatics.

“Made in Bloomington,” Program 1
9:30 p.m. Tuesday
A series of short films curated by the Bloomington chapter of the Indiana Filmmakers Network, an organization that facilitates discussion among film and video makers in Indiana. The program includes “Pi Bake,” “Home Security,” “The Puppets’ Master” and “Nathan & the Luthier.”
Student Short Film, Program 1
6:30 p.m. Wednesday
This program of student films was curated from work produced in various departments across campus.

“Made in Bloomington,” Program 2
9:30 p.m. Wednesday
The second part of the Indiana Filmmakers Network’s series includes “Until the Last Time,” “Public Art,” “Dark Worlds: Slasher” and “8 Wheels of Death.”

Student Short Film, Program 2
6:30 p.m. Thursday
The second part of the Student Short Film series is produced by students enrolled in T435: Documentary Production. The screening includes “As Long as We Keep Telling,” “We’re Different, My Baby” and “Indiana’s Flea Markets.”

“Student Seven”
9:30 p.m. Thursday
Produced by senior Chelsey McKrill and directed by recent alumnus Sam Sher, “Student Seven,” is the modern-day tale of Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Sumurai.” The film takes place in an alternate reality, university setting and focuses on martial arts duels.