“Right smack dab in
the middle of town
I found a paradise
that’s trouble proof.”
–Up on the Roof
A sneak preview in Chicago of Alex Ross
Perry’s “Queen of Earth” on Wed. Aug. 12 will not be screened in a traditional
theatrical venue. It won’t even be screened indoors. The psychological thriller
starring Elisabeth Moss and Katherine Waterston will receive its city premiere
on the rooftop of Whole Foods, 1550 N. Kingsbury St. in Lincoln Park, under the
auspices of Elevated Films Chicago, a fledgling not-for-profit.
Elevated Films
Chicago is the passion project of Eddie and Susie Linker, husband and wife
finance professionals-turned-independent film producers who are parlaying their
expertise into a proposed annual summer film series that will serve as a
catalyst to raise the awareness and accessibility of independent films and
support arts education in the city’s schools.
The proceeds from
screenings will go toward such established programs as After School Matters,
which was founded by the late Maggie Daley, and Scenarios USA, a national
organization, with an initiative of a youth writing contest in which winning
stories will be adapted into short films. An excerpt from one such film will be
screened prior to “Queen of Earth.”
Elevated Films
Chicago’s inaugural series is comprised of but two films. The series launched
last week with a screening of “People, Places, Things,” starring Jemaine Clement
and directed by James C. Strouse, who participated in an audience Q&A via
Skype following the screening.
It was a glorious
evening, from the weather (74 degrees) and a pre-screening performance by local
band the Aunteaks to the off-center pleasures of the crowd-pleasing film itself
(in theatres and On Demand on Aug. 14) and, depending on where you were
situated on the roof, a bonus: Navy Pier’s firework’s display in the distance.
Tickets for
“Queen of Earth” are $15. It will screen at 8:15 p.m., preceded at 7:30 with
music by Lili K. Rooftop admittance begins at 7 p.m. Seating is provided but
blankets are permitted. No outside food or beverages are allowed. Snacks and
drinks will be offered (some free) by rooftop vendors or can be purchased in
Whole Foods.
How did Elevated
Films Chicago get off the ground? Susie Linker was an investment banker for
more than two decades. She left about a year-and-a-half ago, “not with the sole
objective of starting a not-for-profit, but with the objective or reinventing
myself,” she said in a phone interview.
In 2014, Eddie, a
film buff, co-founded Forager Films with Chicago filmmaker Joe Swanberg and
Peter Gilbert, co-producer and director of cinematography on “Hoop Dreams,” to
produce low budget independent films. Their impressive credits include Joe
Swanberg’s “Happy Christmas,” Kris Swanberg’s “Unexpected,” and the upcoming
“Digging for Fire.”
“Queen of Earth” is
a Forager Films project on which Eddie Linker, Gilbert and Joe Swanberg served
as executive producers, but its inclusion on the Elevated Films Chicago slate
was necessitated by the unavailability of other film choices. “We do not want
to show our own movies,” Susie Linker said. “Our goal is not to promote
ourselves. But because we’re a startup, some distributors weren’t as quick to
say, ‘Take our film and show it in Chicago.’” We had a relationship with
(“Queen of Earth” distributor) IFC, and the timing was right (the film, praised
by “The New Yorker’s” Richard Brody as “a masterwork of tone and mood,” premieres
On Demand and on iTunes on Aug. 26).
Linker credits
Rooftop Films, a Brooklyn-based independent film series as the inspiration for
Elevated Films Chicago. “A few of our films have been presented there,” Linker
said. “Eddie kept saying that this type of community event would really thrive
in Chicago.”
Beyond the charms
of watching a movie outdoors, Elevated Films Chicago offers film-loving,
city-enamored Chicagoans a win-win, Linker enthused. “We’re Chicagoans. We
spend a good part of the year inside. Once summertime hits, I want to be
outside. And people love going to the movies. Plus, you’ve got the backdrop of
this beautiful city.”
The Linkers
endeavor to broaden that breathtaking, but limited, perspective and make
Elevated Films Chicago a moveable feast with rooftop screenings in an array
of diverse neighborhoods. “Ideally,
we’re going to take this show on the road,” she said
Once summer ends,
the real work begins in growing the organization. It already boasts a distinguished board of
directors, including Joe and Kris Swanberg, Gilbert, filmmakers Frank Ross and
Spender Parsons, award-winning
producer Jacqui Ingram, and Theresa Snyder, owner of CityWide SuperSlow.
“We’re going to look for grants and for
sponsor funding,” Linker said. “We’re going to hit some film festivals
and try to build relationships with film distributors so they know what we’re
doing and how we’re giving back to the community. They may not be sure who we
are just yet, but after this year, they will.”
For more information on Elevated Films Chicago or to
volunteer, contact Susie@elevatedfilmschicago.com
