"As Sweet Land demonstrates, bigotry is vulnerable, and love is universal. Sweet Land is a fervent movie poem to that love—and to family, land, lost times and old beginnings."
— Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

Complimentary champagne and food from Pardini's. Music by the Kevin Hill Trio. Fine wine served upstairs by WineStyles. All pass holders and patrons of Sweet Land are invited.

"With its lessons of faith, family loyalty and the power of the imagination, [Opal Dream] is one of the rare non-animated films parents can take their children to see."
— Teresa Budasi, Chicago Sun-Times

“The assured storytelling and impeccable social-realist values are sure to garner further attention”
— Justin Chang, Variety

Those who work behind the scenes talk about their craft and present clips from their work.

Damian Acevedo is an independent cinematographer whose credits include The Fourth, for which he was awarded the International Cinematographer’s Guild Award for Artistic Achievement in Cinematography; and The Shadow Effect, winner for Best Cinematography at the Beverly Hills Film Festival.

Russell Calabrese is a Hollywood animator whose credits include The Ant Bully and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

Stephen Thomas Cavit is a film composer. His most recent score for Everything’s Cool premiered along with the film at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Other recent work includes the film Blue Vinyl (Sundance 2002) and the TV series Family Bonds, both for HBO; The Meaning of Food, a mini-series for PBS; and Knocking, a film for the Independent Lens series on PBS. In addition, Stephen was awarded one of six fellowships to the 2000 Sundance Composers Lab and was invited to attend BMI's prestigious Conducting Workshop where he studied with renowned conductor Lucas Richman.

Darrin Navarro is a motion picture editor whose film credits include the independent drama Hate Crime; the psychological thriller Bug, to be released nationwide on May 25th, 2007; and the high school comedy Senior Skip Day, to be released later this year.

Everything's Cool is a film about America finally “getting” global warming in the wake of the most dangerous chasm ever to emerge between scientific understanding and political action.

Mind’s Eye
A young widower is driven to punish the person responsible for the death of his wife and daughter.
Written and directed by Peter Torstensen Jr., 2007; 6 min.

Joy
Twelve-year-old, Joy, speaks candidly about her experience of violence and turmoil as a child growing up in the inner-city of Fresno. What she sees around her conflicts with her innocence and intuition.
Teresa Flores, 2006; 4 min.

Tissiack: The Great Northwest Face of Half Dome
Documentary filmmaker Steve Crutchfield follows large-format photographer Michael Ambrose on his journey to photograph the northwest face of Half Dome.
Directed by Steve Crutchfield, 18 min.

Kubaato
“Kubaato” in Nepali means “wrong way.” Set in Nepal, a kidnapping plot goes wrong.
Written, directed, and edited by Bipul Karki
Nepal, 2007; 14 min.
In Nepali with English subtitles

The Fourth
A relay team trains for the big race—and hopes to find their fourth runner. Winner of the International Cinematographer’s Guild Award for Artistic Achievement.
Directed by Jared Varava; cinematography, Damian Acevedo
2004, 17 min.

“A superb miniature of globalization.”
— Patricia Aufderheide, In These Times

“Not since René Clair and Jacques Tati have gags been so expertly constructed or characters looked more mournful than in L'Iceberg, a tasty concoction with equal measures of poetic fantasy and slapstick comedy.”
— MOMA New Directors/New Films Series

Join the Filmworks Board and guest filmmakers at M Restaurant after our final screening. Enter through the theater lobby; no-host bar and appetizer menu available. Audience Awards will be announced.