Filmmakers invading central Illinois as never before

CHAMPAIGN – Writer-editor Jason Pankoke has closely followed the independent-filmmaking community here over the past decade. Never has he seen so many films being made in central Illinois as he has during the past year.

"There are several projects of all shapes and sizes. The largest by far is 'Leading Ladies,'" he said.

Others in the works:

– "Werewolf Cemetery," a feature by Jason Butler that is just about completed. Butler, who now lives in Portland, Ore., has combined visits back here to see family with "some guerilla shooting action," Pankoke said.

– Ed Glaser of Champaign is shooting a feature-length fantasy-adventure in the C-U area.

– Robin Christian of Dreamscape is making "Stilettos," episodes of three to five minutes each in length to be posted on the Web. "That still has a couple of shoot dates left, and then that's wrapped," Pankoke said. It will premiere this fall on the Internet.

– The Western, "Sand Prairie," shot near Springfield with mostly Springfield cast and crew, was released in April nationwide on DVD and Blu-ray as "The Showdown." Pankoke believes "The Showdown" is the first high-definition release of a locally made, independent production.

"The folks behind 'Leading Ladies,' with all the time and money invested in it, will have to aim at least this high once they're finished with their film to make it worth everyone's while, including investors," Pankoke said.

Of course, digital equipment means nearly anyone can make a film and release it over the Internet. The holy grail for most filmmakers would be theatrical and home-video distribution, Pankoke said.

Feature-length films also will be made soon in Bloomington-Normal and Decatur. Overall, Pankoke estimates that eight to 10 independent large-scale films will be made in central Illinois this calendar year. That doesn't count student or back-yard shorts, he said.

"It's the type of thing that's very sporadic when it happens in a smaller community, but now, in retrospect, we do have this growing body of independent film and video narrative work," Pankoke said.

Pankoke covers all the projects in his blog at micro-film-magazine.com/cublog. He takes excerpts from the blog to create the magazine C-U Confidential, an annual that he distributes during Roger Ebert's Film Festival in late April in Champaign. With all the recent activity here, he's thinking of publishing an issue this fall, too.

Pankoke, 38, first became interested in noncommercial and independent films during the first Freaky Film Festival in Champaign in 1997. The event, which is no longer in existence, inspired him to start "Micro-Film," a glossy magazine that covered independent, student, grass-roots and underground films in this region and beyond.

His C-U Confidential, focused on local projects, is a spin off of Micro-Film; the final issue of the latter will come out this fall.

Pankoke believes it's important that someone cover the local scene and put into context the filmmakers and their work. He said he dabbles in filmmaking himself and occasionally helps with local projects, sometimes as an extra or by taking photographs on sets.

"I think my main role is to cheerlead the people making creative films and to try to put that in the public consciousness for entertainment, documentation and informational purposes," he said. "Hopefully, people will get involved and become part of it like people love to be part of the music scene, theater scene and fine-art scene."

Pankoke also hopes that the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce and other business leaders will help foster filmmaking here, and that the UI will eventually establish a film school.

"It's the largest university in the state. It's sad that they can't have that resource here," he said.

Also on this date

• Social service agencies preparing for worst with cuts
• Mahomet man dies after being struck by car
• Champaign man faces drug, weapons charges
• Fire in Urbana apartment displaces 38-year-old, 2 kids
• Planning commission chief likens agency to corporation
• Cissna Park man's needs met without leaving home
• Major pane repairs will help with climate, pest control
• Several burglaries to houses, vehicles reported in C-U
• Lincoln Hall occupants clear way for potential renovations
• Obituaries

» More