The Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival (CRIFF) is coming up Friday-Sunday, April 5-7, featuring 57 films from across the country that are all somehow connected to Iowa.
Included are offerings from a number of established and new Quad Cities filmmakers.
The films will be shown at the Collins Road Theatres, 1462 Twixt Town Road in Marion.
A panel of judges selected the films from a field of 102 entries, according to a news release from festival organizers. Featured films include short and feature-length narrative, documentary, and freestyle works (such as music videos and film art) from students, hobbyists and seasoned professionals.
“There truly is something for everyone. We screen a wide variety of genres: dramas, comedies, documentaries of all kinds, music videos and more,” Festival Director Eric Dean Freese said in the release.
And the festival offers more than just a day at the movies. “Watching ‘motion pictures’ is an activity that many of us share. At our fest, you’ll enjoy engaging with unique stories and characters you may not find in mainstream cinema. Viewing the world through another person’s lens can not only be entertaining, but also is a fantastic catalyst for empathy and understanding,” he said.
Many filmmakers will attend the fest, which also will feature Q&As following the films.
Official selections include these entries from eastern Iowa and western Illinois:
- “Blue Christmas” – Professional Narrative Feature – Max Allan Collins, Chad Thomas Bishop – Muscatine.
- “Resurrecting Forest Grove” – Professional Documentary – Kelly Rundle, Tammy Rundle, Fourth Wall Films – Moline.
- “S’mores” – Student Narrative Short-Form – Matt Chezum, Augustana College student from New Windsor, Illinois. Mr. Chezum added a film making to his studies at Augustana College after the nationally ranked liberal arts college created a film major and added a new state-of-the-art production facility.
- “Origin Point” – Professional Short – Tony Joseph Cross – Taylor Ridge, Illinois.
- “DUNK” – Student Freestyle – Jack Joseph McCarthy – Eldridge.
- “A Century of Citizenship” – ProAm Documentary – Gabriel Fink, Ashton Nanke, Spare Card Media – Cedar Rapids.
- “Agnus Dei Music Video” – ProAm Freestyle – Jean-Francois Charles – Iowa City.
- “Behind Everyman” – ProAm Short – Brittany Benedict, Demian Alan Mancino, Kevin Shepherd – Coralville.
- “Friendly Faces” – Professional Narrative Feature – Keaton Marshall Fuller, Landon Sheetz, Joey Loboda, Spencer Michael Smith, Marissa Vonn, Bruce James Bales, Matthew Tribble, Ron Reynolds – Iowa City.
- “Genesis” – Student Freestyle – Dillon Jacobson- University of Iowa, Iowa City.
- “I’m Listening” – Student Narrative Short-Form – Nick Hull – University of Iowa.
- “It’s Not Weather” – Professional Narrative Short – Ashton Nanke – Cedar Rapids.
- “Jamiroquai Has No Friends” – ProAm Short – Kazek Israni-Winger, Abby Bjorholm – Cedar Rapids.
- “Lightsaber Battle” – Student Narrative Short-Form – Palmer George LeVake – Cedar Rapids.
- “Limits” – ProAm Short – Courtney Grawe, Dave Grawe – Davenport.
- “Lost in the In-Between: Graduating into 2020” – Professional Documentary – Ryan Adams, Jenna Galligan, Jake Maish, Danny Wilcox Frazier of Iowa City.
- “Martian Encounter” – Professional Freestyle – Paul Hunenemann – Cedar Rapids.
- “Romantics & Rebels” – ProAm Freestyle – Roxanne Jones – Cedar Rapids.
All CRIFF entries must have an Iowa connection, according to the release, which could mean a crew or cast member has lived, worked or attended school in Iowa; a film was produced, at least in part, in Iowa; or a story features an Iowa subject or Iowan, real or fictional.
Film festival tickets are available through the Collins Road Theatres box office website. Full event passes are $35 for adults and $25 for students. Single sessions are $10 for adults and $8 for students in advance. Student Cinema Sunday student tickets are $5 in advance. Schedules, film information and other details are available here.
CRIFF’s mission is to encourage independent filmmakers with Iowa ties to continue improving their craft, to provide a place to specifically showcase their films, present a unique cultural event to the community and to offer networking opportunities for the purpose of building connections between Iowa-connected filmmakers everywhere, according to the release.
In addition to Collins Road Theatres and Farmers State Bank, CRIFF is supported by the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, ProduceIowa, Wired Production Group, ImOn Communications, Sweetopia Emporium, Uptown Coffee Co., Adobe Express and R&D Events.
For more information, visit crifm.org, the festival’s Facebook page, or email [email protected].
