UPDATE September 2014 / The 7th Annual Naperville Independent Film Festival is slated from Sept. 13-Sept. 20 at the AMC Theaters, Smith Hall at North Central College and Center Stage Theater. For complete information about the 2014 showcase, visit www.naperfilmfest.org.
Original Post 2012 / The 5th Annual Naperville Independent Film Festival, slated for Sept.15-22, 2012, recently hosted a Program Sponsorship Meet & Greet.
According to NIFF Marketing Director Mary Ellen Fieseler, last month’s event at the Hollywood Palms Movie Theater was a big success in advance of planning for the week-long film festival now held annually in theaters throughout Naperville. The showcase has grown to attract indie filmmakers from across the nation and around the world.
“All who attended this event were delighted to hear from Film Maker John Norton and Film Producer Jack Cohen,” said Fieseler. “Both (men) were knowledgeable and very informative about the film making process.”
Attendees—including Mayor George Pradel, Councilman Bob Fieseler, President Christine Jeffries of the Naperville Development Partnership, President Julie Cunningham of the Naperville Woman’s Club— also heard a presentation from Leo McNamee, a prop craftsman, who showed yet another side of the independent film production process.
When the film festival begins on Sept. 15, films will be shown at Ogden 6 Theaters, Hollywood Blvd. Theater and The Hollywood Palms Theater.
According to organizers, this year 108 films and 10 screenplays have been submitted. From those which have been submitted, most are from the United States, but there are at least 10 entries from other countries. The official selection of Films and Screenplays for acceptance into this year’s Film Festival will be determined by mid-July.
Note that the Films and Screenplays, which are officially selected as contenders for Awards, will be notified in the beginning of August, and the winners will be announced at the Closing Night Ceremony at the Hollywood Palms Theater on Sept. 22.
Meanwhile, for individuals who think all of the theaters at Hollywood Palms Movie Theater are similar venues, the upstairs private meeting room where the fundraiser was held is a spectacular museum of Hollywood memorabilia unto itself, Mary Ellen Fieseler said.
Founded in 2007 by Edmond Coisson, Glessna Coisson and Gary Pradel, CEO of the Arthur Ray Foundation, the Naperville Independent Film Festival will host its fifth showcase in 2012. For more information, visit www.naperfilmfest.org.
Photos courtesy of Mary Ellen Fieseler