Chicago – On Tuesday, December 6th, the Midwest Independent Film Festival gave out their 2016 “Best of the Midwest” Awards with a ceremony at Rockit Bar & Grill in Chicago. Best Feature honors went to “For Grace,” directed by Mark Helenowski and Kevin Pang. Best Female Actor was Amy Frazzini of “Guidance,” Best Male Actors were T.J. Jagodowski and David Pasquesi of “T.J. & Dave,” and Best Screenplay was Robert Putka of “Mad,” among other categories.
The evening was hosted by Festival Director Mike McNamara, and included presenters Betsy Steinberg – Executive Director of Kartemquin Films, Christine Dudley – the Director of the Illinois Film Office, Amy Guth of Wgn Radio and Christian Stolte of TV’s “Chicago Fire” The event took place in the upstairs nightclub area of Rockit Bar & Grill in Chicago.
Best Female Actor Amy Frazzini (‘Guidance’), with BMA Host Mike McNamara
Photo credit: Midwest Independent Film Festival
The Midwest Independent Film...
The evening was hosted by Festival Director Mike McNamara, and included presenters Betsy Steinberg – Executive Director of Kartemquin Films, Christine Dudley – the Director of the Illinois Film Office, Amy Guth of Wgn Radio and Christian Stolte of TV’s “Chicago Fire” The event took place in the upstairs nightclub area of Rockit Bar & Grill in Chicago.
Best Female Actor Amy Frazzini (‘Guidance’), with BMA Host Mike McNamara
Photo credit: Midwest Independent Film Festival
The Midwest Independent Film...
- 12/9/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – On Tuesday, December 6th, the Midwest Independent Film Festival will award their 2016 “Best of the Midwest” honors with a ceremony at Rockit Bar & Grill, 22 W. Hubbard, in Chicago. The evening will be hosted by Festival Director Mike McNamara, and nominees include the short film “Lady of the House” (directed by Brad Bischoff), plus feature films “Mad” (directed by Robert Putka), and “My Friend’s Rubber Ducky” (directed by Josh Hyde).
Presented by the Midwest Independent Film Festival
Photo credit: MidwestFilm.com
The Midwest Independent Film Festival is a year-round movie event in Chicago that takes place the first Tuesday of every month, at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema. The festival has been recognized by Chicago Magazine in their “Best of Chicago” issue, and has become one of the top places for local filmmakers, producers and actors to network in the city. The “Best of the Midwest” Awards has a...
Presented by the Midwest Independent Film Festival
Photo credit: MidwestFilm.com
The Midwest Independent Film Festival is a year-round movie event in Chicago that takes place the first Tuesday of every month, at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema. The festival has been recognized by Chicago Magazine in their “Best of Chicago” issue, and has become one of the top places for local filmmakers, producers and actors to network in the city. The “Best of the Midwest” Awards has a...
- 12/5/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
FilmBuff has forked over for distribution rights to For Grace, a foodie documentary that premiered at this year’s SXSW. Helmed and produced by first-time filmmakers Kevin Pang, food writer at the Chicago Tribune, and Mark Helenowski, For Grace follows Chicago chef Curtis Duffy in the midst of building his dream restaurant Grace during the worst time in his personal life — as his career cost him his marriage and family. The film also explores the renowned chef ‘s troubling…...
- 10/16/2015
- Deadline
Shot over the course of four years, "For Grace" follows acclaimed chef Curtis Duffy through the inception of his first restaurant, from cinderblocks all the way up to opening night for what quickly became one of the most sought-after restaurants in the world. "For Grace," which was co-directed by first-time documentary filmmakers Kevin Pang (an award winning food writer for The Chicago Tribune) and Mark Helenowski (a Student Emmy winner and commercial director), explores the magnitude of sacrifice required in Duffy's never-ending quest for perfection -- and shows us a lot of delicious food along the way. What's your film about in 140 characters or less?It's about a chef's journey from tragedy to redemption, and the sacrifice required to build one of America's most acclaimed restaurants. Now what's it Really about?Well, there's really a number of themes happening concurrently. On the surface level, it's about the building of a Chicago restaurant called Grace,...
- 3/18/2015
- by Rosie Narasaki
- Indiewire
The face of the modern chef is a familiar one: worn, determined, driven, and unhinged. Entering the kitchen of high class restaurants around the world means dealing with personalities that are ruthless and demand nothing short of perfection, no matter what the cost. Climbing the rungs means long hours and little pay in an environment that breeds its share of vices, and leaves little opportunity to sustain successful relationships with those who don't understand the world of haute cuisine. Reality television and documentary films have certainly played into that narrative, and "For Grace" also underscores some of those same tropes you might've seen before. What elevates the film from directors Kevin Pang and Mark Helenowski into something unique in the food doc genre is a broader narrative that isn't just about professional success, but a journey of personal growth that goes beyond the meticulously crafted meals at Chicago's celebrated Grace.
- 3/14/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
While there is no shortage of reality show television to take us into the kitchens and minds of those seeking culinary excellence, those heightened pieces of programming often don't accurately convey the true cost of climbing to the top of the profession. But in the upcoming "For Grace," filmmakers Kevin Pang and Mark Helenowski chronicle the story of one chef whose single minded pursuit to be the best almost cost him everything. The documentary tells the tale of Curtis Duffy, a once troubled teenager who, thanks to the attention of home economics teacher, discovered his true passion: cooking. He survived personal tragedy and put all his energy into assembling his dream restaurant, Grace, only to discover that in the process, he was in danger of losing his marriage and daughters. And in this clip, colleagues like Phillip Foss and Grant Achatz relate their sympathies with the challenges that Duffy and...
- 3/3/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Now that the busy winter fest schedule of Sundance, Rotterdam and the Berlinale has concluded, we’ve now got our eyes on the likes of True/False and SXSW. While, True/False does not specialize in attention grabbing world premieres, it does provide a late winter haven for cream of the crop non-fiction fare from all the previously mentioned fests and a selection of overlooked genre blending films presented in a down home setting. This year will mark my first trip to the Columbia, Missouri based fest, where I hope to catch a little of everything, from their hush-hush secret screenings, to selections from their Neither/Nor series, this year featuring chimeric Polish cinema of decades past, to a spotlight of Adam Curtis’s incisive oeuvre. But truth be told, it is SXSW, with its slew of high profile world premieres being announced, such as Alex Gibney’s Steve Jobs...
- 2/27/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Amy Schumer and Bill Hader in TrainwreckPhoto: Universal Pictures With Sundance just wrapping up and Berlin starting up in a few days, we are now immersed in the year-long barrage of film festivals. One such festival in South By Southwest. A few weeks back they announced the first seven films of their program, including the opening night film Brand: A Second Coming. Today, they have revealed the rest of the features to be shown in March (except for the midnight program), and some of it has me very excited. The bigger titles announced do not do much for me. Paul Feig's Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, and the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart starrer Get Hard leave a lot to be desired in terms of anticipation, as does a work in progress cut of Judd Apatow's latest film Trainwreck. I'm guessing an Apatow work in progress is probably around three and a half hours.
- 2/3/2015
- by Mike Shutt
- Rope of Silicon
South by Southwest, the multi-faceted film, music and technology festival held annually in Austin, TX will feature such upcoming films as Paul Feig’s Spy, David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn, Alex Gibney’s documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, and Ondi Timoner’s Russell Brand profile Brand: A Second Coming as headliners in this year’s film festival lineup.
SXSW runs from March 13 to 21 in Austin and is now in its 22nd year. Variety has details of the 145 films and 100 world premieres bowing at this year’s festival. Brand, as previously reported, will be the festival’s opening night film.
Other notable titles on the list are the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, a rough cut of Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, the directorial debut of 28 Days Later screenwriter Alex Garland, Ex Machina, and a new comedy by Michael Showalter, Hello, My Name is Doris.
On the small screen,...
SXSW runs from March 13 to 21 in Austin and is now in its 22nd year. Variety has details of the 145 films and 100 world premieres bowing at this year’s festival. Brand, as previously reported, will be the festival’s opening night film.
Other notable titles on the list are the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, a rough cut of Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, the directorial debut of 28 Days Later screenwriter Alex Garland, Ex Machina, and a new comedy by Michael Showalter, Hello, My Name is Doris.
On the small screen,...
- 2/3/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
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