from December 09, 2005

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“Sugar Mountain” director Aaron Himelstein (left) and star Luke Eberl (right) with MWFF director Mike McNamara at the film’s May premiere. Photo by Dmitri Moore

Nineteen-year-old actor and filmmaker Aaron Himelstein led the winners at the Midwest Independent Film Festival’s inaugural Best of the Midwest Awards.

Best of the Midwest bestowed Shelle Awards in 12 categories for films made in the Midwest or by Midwest filmmakers, which had screened at the MWFF’s monthly event at Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema.

A Buffalo Grove native who played young Austin Powers in “Goldmember,” Himelstein’s drama “Sugar Mountain” took the Best Picture and Best Drama awards.

Producer Kent Smith accepted the awards for the Indianapolis-shot “Sugar Mountain,” praising Himelstein as “an incredibly talented young guy and a great joy to work with.” Himelstein is at work on his feature directorial debut, “To the Raccoon.”

Best Director winner Tim Hoover on the set of “The Divine”

Tim Hoover won Best Director for his dramatic short “The Divine,” which MWFF director Mike McNamara announced has landed a distribution deal with Village Roadshow Pictures. Hoover is co-executive producing a variety/gameshow with Ben Silverman (“The Office”).

Introducing Hoover’s Best Director award, Chicago Film Office director Rich Moskal lauded all the participating filmmakers. “You give us a credibility boost as a center for filmmaking,” Moskal said. “It’s important to recognize indie films as vital to Chicago.”

Chicago native Pete Schwaba, who co-wrote “A Guy Thing,” took best comedy for his Wisconsin-shot feature “The Godfather of Green Bay.”

Melissa Sienicki won best actress for “Apology,” Anthony Collamati’s 2004 IFP/Chicago Production Fund winner.

Timothy Burke won Best Actor for Michael Toth’s “Cast in Gray,” the first chapter of Toth’s in-development feature “Grey, White & Black.” Toth also took Best Sound Design.

David Blood took the Best Cinematography award for John Besmer’s “Lifelike.” Madison-based Besmer said at the post-award reception that his feature script “Not Birds, Airplanes,” from which “Lifelike” is excerpted, is close to landing a production deal.

Larry Lundy won Best Art Direction for Ed Italo’s “Following Paula,” starring Justina Machado (“Six Feet Under.”) Italo adapted the Pilsen romance from neighborhood footage he had shot for Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign.

Steve Ordower of Rhythm & Light won Best Editing for Phil Donlon’s “A Series of Small Things,” which Ordower also produced. Ordower and Donlon are in post on the short “The Man in the Silo,” starring Ernie Hudson (“Oz”).

Ai Lene Chor won Best Student Film for her acclaimed short “Mindy,” and Caton Volk won Best Music Video for Assassins’ “Always.”

Michael Kwielford and Mark Battaglia founded the Midwest Indie five years ago as Chicago Community Cinema. McNamara partnered with Kwielford when Battaglia moved to Los Angeles.

The Midwest Indie runs the first Tuesday of every month, and will return Feb. 7. McNamara announced that next year’s lineup will include Bruce Terris’ crime drama feature “Dirty Work,” due for DVD release from Screen Media Pictures, and Barry J. Hershey’s feature doc “Cast About.”

McNamara also announced that MWFF would host the film program of the Chicago Improv Festival, which runs April 24-30. See www.midwestfilm.com. —Ed M. Koziarski

Ed M. Koziarski is co-director of the feature film “The First Breath of Tengan Rei”. Email:

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