Tres bien! Four local filmmakers to appear at Cannes

Four Chicago filmmakers will have visible places at the Cannes Film Festival, May 14-25 as speakers and to premiere their films in front of an international audience gathering for screenings, workshops, conferences and, but of course, networking in the South of France.

First up is actress/producer Grace McPhillips of Sterling Rock Productions will make three appearances at the Court de Metrage Short Film Corner part of the Festival. 

Her short film, “Eclipse,” will make its world premiere and she will make a presentation May 15 and 17 at the HP Studio.  

McPhillips’ talk, “Concept to Completion in Ten Months: The Future of Indie Filmmaking,” is about innovations in technology, creative collaboration and crowd funding that Sterling Rock used for its film productions,

Another premiere in the Short Film Corner is “Coast,” set in Downtown Chicago and the lakefront, from director Robert Ruiz de Castilla’s produced by his Five Penn Films.

Dialog-free “Coast,” starring Brian Rooney, was shot in black and white by local cinematographer Marcin Szalkowski and set against a dramatic score by Chicago artist Bastardgeist.

Oscar Oboza, senior colorist at Optimus, handled postproduction.

Then on May 21, Steve James, director of the Roger Ebert bio-doc, “Life Itself,” and producer Chaz Ebert will highlight an “In Conversation” panel, at the American Pavilion, one of a series of panels with acclaimed filmmakers, movie executives and journalists.