Z Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The Z Film Festival is a microcinema
media-showcase that was created by filmmaker Usama Alshaibi
and launched on December 1, 2000 at the Heaven Gallery in Chicago
. The following year, Kristie Alshaibi teamed up with Usama as director and programmer for the Z Film Festival. In 2001 the Z Film Festival began to solicit short movies internationally, and screened at the Gene Siskel Film Center
in downtown Chicago. The festival had its final event in 2006.
Some of the filmmakers that were featured in the Z Film Festival: Miranda July
, Richard Kern
, James Fotopoulos
, Tom Palazzolo, Mark Hejnar, Shawn Durr, Carey Burtt
, Meg McCarville, John Goras, Piotr Tokarski, Steve Hall
, and Cathee Wilkins.
The festival is known for playing controversial and sometimes shocking movies. From the website mission statement:
"Our commitment to true independent cinema holds strong. It is our primary mission to present the works of artists who have complete creative control over all aspects of the film or video making process. Often those works are unsettling, terrifying, beautiful, experimental, insightful, political, strange, perverse, or even just plain obscene."
Microcinema
The term Microcinema can have two meanings. It can describe low-budget or amateur films shot mostly on digital video, edited on a computer, and then distributed via videotape, disc or over the Internet...
media-showcase that was created by filmmaker Usama Alshaibi
Usama Alshaibi
Usama Alshaibi is an Iraqi-American independent filmmaker and visual artist.Starting in early 2004, Alshaibi worked on a documentary on his homeland, and its current situation, titled Nice Bombs...
and launched on December 1, 2000 at the Heaven Gallery in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The following year, Kristie Alshaibi teamed up with Usama as director and programmer for the Z Film Festival. In 2001 the Z Film Festival began to solicit short movies internationally, and screened at the Gene Siskel Film Center
Gene Siskel Film Center
"The Film Center" redirects here. Not to be confused with the Film Center Building in New York CityThe Gene Siskel Film Center, formerly The Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and commonly referred to as The Film Center or The Gene Siskel, is the cinematheque attached to The...
in downtown Chicago. The festival had its final event in 2006.
Some of the filmmakers that were featured in the Z Film Festival: Miranda July
Miranda July
Miranda July is a performing artist, writer, actress and film director. Born Miranda Jennifer Grossinger, she works under the surname of "July," which can be traced to a character from a "girlzine" Miranda created with high school friend Johanna Fateman, called Snarla.- Background :Miranda...
, Richard Kern
Richard Kern
Richard Kern is a New York underground filmmaker, writer and photographer. He first came to underground prominence as part of the underground cultural explosion in the East Village of New York City in the 1980s, with erotic and experimental films featuring underground personalities of the time...
, James Fotopoulos
James Fotopoulos
James Fotopoulos is an independent filmmaker and media artist living in Chicago, Illinois. His work is low-budget and rigorous, and consists of experimental narrative features, non-narrative shorts, and video installations...
, Tom Palazzolo, Mark Hejnar, Shawn Durr, Carey Burtt
Carey Burtt
Carey Burtt is a filmmaker and musician based in New York City, mainly working in the underground genre.- Films :Known for their disturbing humor and dark narratives, the films of Carey Burtt include The Psychotic Odyssey of Richard Chase and The Death of Sex, both featured in the second edition of...
, Meg McCarville, John Goras, Piotr Tokarski, Steve Hall
Steve Hall
Steve Hall born 10 July 1979 in St Helens, Merseyside, England is a rugby league player.Hall's position of choice is on the wing. He played for London Broncos, St. Helens and Widnes Vikings in the Super League and also French club Saint-Gaudens Bears....
, and Cathee Wilkins.
The festival is known for playing controversial and sometimes shocking movies. From the website mission statement:
"Our commitment to true independent cinema holds strong. It is our primary mission to present the works of artists who have complete creative control over all aspects of the film or video making process. Often those works are unsettling, terrifying, beautiful, experimental, insightful, political, strange, perverse, or even just plain obscene."