“Check Please” will premier at the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival
CHICAGO – The Illinois Film Office today announced the winner of its first-ever statewide short film contest, Shortcuts. The winning film, “Check Please,” produced by Chicago resident Larry Ziegelman, is a darkly humorous portrayal of a family dinner gone awry. “Check Please” was made by an all-Illinois cast and crew. The film will screen as part of the Chicago International Film Festival short films program, Monday, October 20th at 6:20 p.m. at the AMC River East Theater.
“Illinois is home to an extremely vibrant film community, as evidenced by the wide-ranging, innovative entries we received for this competition,” Illinois Film Office Managing Director Betsy Steinberg said. “The Shortcuts competition provided local filmmakers with an opportunity to showcase their talent and introduce their product in a way that has never before been done on a statewide level. Shortcuts will continue to be an opportunity for our great talent base and to market Illinois’ bustling film industry.”
Ziegelman, was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Washington University and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Communications with an emphasis in Art Direction. Ziegelman is now an Associate Creative Director at DDB Chicago. He has received numerous awards for his Superbowl work, including Cannes Bronze Lion, two Cannes Finalist Certificates, the Yahoo! Big Idea Award, the London International Festival, and Adweek’s Best Commercials of February.
Shortcuts, which was first introduced in June, was designed to encourage filmmakers across the state to explore their creativity and showcase their skills. All Illinois residents over the age of 18 and students over the age of 18 who attend Illinois colleges and universities were invited to enter the competition. More information on the Shortcuts contest and the Illinois Film Office can be found at www.illinoisfilm.biz.
“Illinois’ film industry brings thousands of jobs to the state each year, and millions in revenue,” Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Jack Lavin said. “The Shortcuts contest is another way that we’re fostering film production in the state and a great opportunity to showcase the innovation and talent of Illinois film makers.”
The film industry has a sizable impact on the Illinois economy and brings thousands of jobs to the state each year. In 2007, Illinois film productions made more than 26,500 hires in Illinois - a 110 percent increase over 2006. A number of films and television shows were produced in Illinois in 2007 including: “The Dark Knight” (Batman); “Wanted,” starring Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman; “Fred Claus,” with Vince Vaughn; “Meet the Browns,” starring Angela Bassett; “ER” (TV show), and “My Boys” (TV show). This year, movies such as “Public Enemies” starring Johnnie Depp and “The Informant” starring Matt Damon have filmed in Illinois.
In 2000, Illinois began suffering a mass exodus of the film industry as other states began enacting film incentives. By 2003, the Illinois film industry had fallen to an all-time low of $23 million. In response, Gov. Blagojevich enacted the Illinois Film Tax Credit. Since its passage, the film industry has rebounded dramatically. The film industry reached an all-time record of nearly $155 million in 2007. This represents the single best year in the state's history - and an 80 percent increase over 2006.
The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is dedicated to advancing Illinois’ reputation as a world-class film destination. The Illinois Film Office, a division of DCEO, promotes and markets the state as an ideal shooting location for films, television shows and commercials. The IFO also promotes and encourages the training and hiring of Illinois residents who represent the diversity of the state’s population.
Gov. Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns regional economic development strategy is the most aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois’ history. Since a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development just doesn’t work, the Governor has divided the state into 10 regions – each with a regional team that is empowered and expected to rapidly respond to opportunities and challenges. Opportunity Returns is about tangible, specific actions to make each region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to businesses. It is about upgrading the skills of the local workforce, increasing the access to capital, opening new markets, improving infrastructure, and creating and retaining jobs. Opportunity Returns is about successfully partnering with companies and communities, both large and small, to help all of Illinois reach its economic potential.