The elaborate car chases, fiery explosions and traffic hassles that accompanied the filming of Captain America: The Winter Solider have vanished faster than the plot of a summer blockbuster. But while Hollywood has come and gone, a growing community of independent filmmakers remain.
To spotlight some of these creative films, IngenuityFest will host its inaugural independent film festival Sept. 20-22 at Docks 30 and 32 downtown.
James Krouse, artistic director of Ingenuity Cleveland, hopes IndieFest will foster innovation. "A lot of artists are looking for something uplifting," he says. "But what's important is that artistically these are accomplished pieces."
A screening of the Studio on Mars' "Punching the Clown" music video helps set the tone. "It's our ode to Fight Club," says producer and featured musician Justin Buckner. In the piece, a male brawls with a gang of tough women. "We love to take those expectations and turn them on their head."
Other films will highlight interesting uses of technology. Bruce Checefsky, director of the Cleveland Institute of Art's Reinberger Galleries, will curate a series of short, animated and live-action films. Following the successful screening inside an RTA bus at last year's festival, this year's shorts will also be in an unexpected, yet-to-be-announced location meant to be stumbled upon organically.
"It's a great opportunity for filmmakers to show their work to a wide audience," says Checefsky.
In contrast, large screening rooms will show other works. Checefsky plans to screen Béla, a short based on a 1924 script by avant-garde filmmaker György Gerö that never made it to film. "I'm attempting to put that history back in place, to give a voice to things through war and destruction," Checefsky says.
Some movies will be followed by discussion sessions, something Krouse hopes will ignite conversations. "IndieFest is a springboard," he says, "creating a platform for filmmakers to communicate with one another."
3 to See
Check out the works of these local filmmakers at this year's IndieFest.
Tom Megalis
With two films shown at Sundance and experience as a writer, director and animator for Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, Megalis' talk session is sure to be informative. Some of his films, including Boot Cut Slacks, a combo live-action and stop-motion puppet film, will be screened at the festival.
The Studio on Mars
The production company will organize a late-night screening of its work, including music videos for Northeast Ohio acts and the premiere of a short character study film In the Fade, directed by founder Justin Buckner.
TurnStyle Films
After a successful run in the 48 Hour Film Project, nine friends formed TurnStyle Films to create low-budget videos for fun and music videos for clients. Look out for the latter featuring local bands, as well as short films ranging from documentaries to quirky comedies.
