A lot of summertime Chicago events can be elevator-pitched in four words. The Air and Water Show: planes in the sky. Lollapalooza: music in Grant Park.
For the newbie known as Sundance Institute x Chicago, starting Friday, how about: A three-day gathering of Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival leaders, local and national filmmakers, producers, screenwriters, directors, industry workers and movie audiences eager for a taste of Sundance festival programming (with four films screening at two venues), along with public panel discussions (requiring free reservations) addressing heavy questions about filmmaking, including the heaviest question of what the hell the future of moviegoing even looks like. There. Did it in 66 words.
It works as an elevator pitch if you’re heading to the observation deck of the Michigan Avenue building formerly known as the Hancock. But it’s an intriguing first-timer all the same. To Jonah Zeiger, deputy commissioner of the Chicago Film Office and the key Chicago factor in making this Sundance pop-up happen, the June 28-30 event is “an opportunity to say ‘let’s get all hands on deck,’ and figure out how to support and strategize our future.
” To Ilyse McKimmie of the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, the Chicago experiment is a chance to “come and highlight a lot of the work we do on a year-round basis.” Sundance has established a regular presence with “best of” festivals and workshops in London and Mexico City, .
