C-U Blogfidential

The Normal Theater in downtown Normal, Illinois, will allow local filmmaker Paul A. Brooks and friends to unleash HUNTING FOR THE HAG on their silver screen on May 12, 2023. Dare to dig the Hag!

Filmmakers of all ages have a week and a half left to submit their short subjects to the brand-new CU International Film Festival, which is set to debut in October on the UIUC campus.

We can value the worth of “location, location, location” in our lives, and it isn’t about real estate prices.

We veer off the normal story beats in central Illinois to visit with Nick Alonzo and company up in Chicago, whose new flick DA BIG ZIP plays virtually this afternoon at 3 p.m. Take in an ultra indie today! Tickets cheap!

As an aside to a tangent, we vicariously saunter about Mother Murphy’s of Normal, IL, thanks to another student project born at Illinois State University, ANYTHING BUT NORMAL. Take a trip with us!

When life hands you lemons, make the best movies possible with limited means! This is the lesson behind the children-led Pens to Lens show that premiered virtually at Facebook on August 15, 2020.

Singing words of wisdom, the numerous folks behind a new audio/video rendition of “Let it Be” want their Champaign-Urbana neighbors to feel better about our future and invest in the care of others.

Even though two out of the three pictured here are on a hard pause, we wear our DIY doings like badges of honor. You can too, citizens and alumni of Champaign, Urbana, and the cities beyond!

BearManor Media released ‘My Best Friend’s Birthday: The Making of a Quentin Tarantino Film’ by Andrew J. Rausch on October 6, 2019. Myths are dispelled, truth is unearthed, and Ye Ed contributes a few words to it!

Champaign, IL, native and author Colin Price will celebrate the release of his first book, ‘Red Light and Other Tales,’ at Pipa’s Pub on Sunday, July 14, 2019. The meet-and-greet begins at 8 p.m. Be there, not square!

On the lighter side, there are few film things we remember more fondly than the Freaky Film Festival of Champaign. Circa 2019, the internet allows us to revisit a few former Freaky movies, circa 1999. Indulge!

We are legitimately excited to be able to issue C-U Confidential #10, folks, although it’s clear we won’t be doing Confidential business as usual going forward. Give us a moment to have a moment, then.

On rare occasion, the strange little dreams we dream at MFHQ come true! Vinegar Syndrome will re-release the infamous UIUC student-made film SHOT in high definition later in 2018. Who knew?!?

It is our sworn duty to trot out the evidence of independent filmmaking in Champaign-Urbana when the opportunity arises. The Suede Chain finally got back together, so therefore we discuss their DREAM WHEEL CIRCUS.

From the “Images of the Week” Dept.: We bet you didn’t see an IOW featuring Japanese monster icon Mothra coming your way, did you? Read on to learn how the fabulous Miss M. relates to the C-U.