It’s @cindependentfilmfestival week! 3 days of films, workshops, live screenplay readings, red carpets and parties! It’s the place to see the best new filmmaking work from the Cincinnati region and beyond! This year, Cindependent is partnering with @outreelscincinnati, @wifcincinnati, and @b3conline, to put on perhaps the most collaborative and supportive film festival that this city has ever seen. ❤️🫡 There will be great films at @themariemonttheatre and @esquiretheatre during the first half of the week as well, including a Trainspotting double feature put on by @secretbasecinema! Cincy Film Calendar is compiled by the @cindependentfilmfestival (would advise purchasing tickets online at memorialhallotr.com rather than at the door, in case they sell out before Thursday)! 🍿🥤🎉

With @cindependentfilmfestival taking place this Thursday-Saturday at @memorialhallotr), today I’m highlighting the two feature films (@ultimatecitizens and @lonewolvesfilm) and 7 of the 84 short films in the 2024 festival lineup! Find full schedule details and tickets at cindependentfilmfest.org. On opening night, Cindependent welcomes h. Jon Benjamin (@jazzdaredevil), star of the new short film, Relationship to Patient, directed by Covington native @carolinecraighead! Also on opening night, the prodigious @daviscameronchu (from Mariemont) and @meezahn return to Cindependent with their new short film, Hand Job! 🤚And before opening night - on Thursday afternoon at 3pm, the charming documentary Ultimate Citizens (about a remarkable ultimate frisbee coach and team) will screen as a part of a block of films on the timely topic of immigration. On Friday afternoon, festival-goers can catch short films from two brilliant Cincy talents, @shutupbiz (Groundwork) and @ck.rider (Devouring Stones Up Close), during the 3pm block of short films titled “Earth, Wind, and Film.” Then in the Friday evening Love-themed block of shorts, actress and director @louisaconnollyburnham will be on hand for the screening of her beautiful new short film @sisterwivesfilm. 🌈❤️ On Saturday, the 2nd feature film of the festival - the dramedy Lone Wolves (directed by Broad City producer @ryanecunningham) will have its Ohio premiere at 3pm. And finally, the festival will wrap up with a wild block of “Cindependent After Dark” shorts on Saturday at 8pm, featuring the World Premiere of the fantastic PRAWN STAR and the local debut of the chilling Carnivora, from director Felipe Vargas (who’s next project is a relaunch of the iconic Leprechaun franchise). See you at the festival! 🍿🥤🎉

Preparations for @cindependentfilmfestival continue! Festival kicks off one week from today - Thursday, September 19th! Tickets are available at memorialhallotr.com 🍿🥤🎉

@hundredsofbeavers will descend on the @woodwardtheater this week! Monday night’s show will be hosted by the @cindependentfilmfestival and will include an animated short film from the 2023 festival, which will run before the feature. On Wednesday, Leontine Cinema make their triumphant return to the @esquiretheatre (after screening DOGFIGHT last week) with a screening of AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000), starring the great Christian Bale as the titular psycho. And on Thursday, @secretbasecinema teams up with LFDW to present RANCHO DELUXE (1975). I could not find any special film events over the weekend, but sound off in the comments if I missed anything! Cincy Film Calendar is compiled by the @cindependentfilmfestival (September 19-21 at Memorial Hall!) 🍿🥤🎉

Cindependent Film Festival 2024 is only weeks away! Cindependent is Cincinnati’s independent film festival - featuring the best new local, national, and global independent films. The festival is primarily made up of blocks of short films, in addition to two excellent new feature films that are currently building steam in the film festival circuit (@ultimatecitizens and @lonewolvesfilm). (Follow @cindependentfilmfestival for more details on this year’s lineup in the weeks ahead!) The festival also features live screenplay performances with some of Cincinnati’s finest actors, workshops with industry professionals, special guests, parties, and more! Ticket packages are available at memorialhallotr.com. On the heels of Cindependent, we’ll be treated to another gem of a festival - @outercinemacincinnati’s Psychotronic Film Festival at @esquiretheatre! Catch the full lineup of lovingly curated cult films at esquiretheatre.com. Esquire will also continue several monthly film series, with hot film picks from Leontine Cinema (AMERICAN PSYCHO), Secret Base Cinema (RANCHO DELUXE and the TRAINSPOTTING’s) and Conveyor Belt Books (WEEKEND). How much edgelord programming can this town support? It remains to be seen. 🙏🏼 Finally, Woodward Cinema will keep doing its thing in September with a two day run of the global phenomenon, @hundredsofbeavers, an exclusive screening of the acclaimed new French thriller, RED ROOMS (from @utopiamovies), a 30th anniversary screening of the iconic New Zealand film, ONCE WERE WARRIORS, and a fresh music doc, BOOM: A FILM ABOUT THE SONICS, to round out the month. Cincy Film Calendar is compiled by the @cindependentfilmfestival 🍿🥤🎉

This week I want to put a spotlight on @wifcincinnati’s Thursday workshop - “How to be a Brilliant PA” at @midwestgripandlighting! This will be a great opportunity to learn and connect for anyone who is already involved or is interested in getting involved in the local production scene! Women in Film Cincinnati puts on many great events that connect and uplift the local film community. Give them a follow if you haven’t already! Elsewhere Woodward Cinema is back with a Jimi Hendrix documentary tonight (8/26) and a new Nick Jonas-starring drama tomorrow evening (8/27). Also on Tuesday - Leontine Cinema kicks off a new film series (highlighting female-directed cinema gems) at the @esquiretheatre with DOGFIGHT (1991). And finally, @outercinemacincinnati returns to the @esquiretheatre on Wednesday (8/28) with another lurid and despicable film selection, CRIMES OF PASSION (1984). Cincy Film Calendar is compiled by the @cindependentfilmfestival (September 19-21 at Memorial Hall). Get your day or weekend tickets for the festival while they’re still available (memorialhallotr.com)!

Late with the schedule because I’ve been deep in the weeds prepping for @cindependentfilmfestival. 🙏🏼😓 Even forgot to promote the screening of The Killing of a Sacred Deer that happened last night at @themariemonttheatre (it holds up)! Nevertheless, there are plenty more great film events happening this week at @esquiretheatre, Garfield Theater, and @otrstillhouse! Cincy Film Calendar is compiled by the Cindependent Film Festival (September 19-21 at Memorial Hall) 🍿🥤🎉

With the upcoming release of the legacy sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, you could be forgiven for thinking that Sing Sing is a genre-bending sequel to the 2016 anthropomorphic animated family film, Sing. But you would be wrong! Sing Sing is in fact a new R rated drama from A24 starring the great Colman Domingo, that is set at the infamous Sing Sing maximum security prison! Elsewhere, I have to recommend seeing Alien: Romulus on the biggest and loudest screen possible (personal recommendation - the “Big D” at the AMC in Anderson). Instead of a remake, I think the film could aptly be described as a “remix” of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). Director Fede Alvarez does a nice job of lending his horror sensibility to the franchise - conjuring up some truly grotesque and stomach churning moments in this dark odyssey of a film. Finally, we have Didi at the Esquire Theatre, which is sadly departing this Thursday evening! The highest praise I can give Didi is that it currently holds the rank of “film of the year” for one of Cincinnati’s finest film-goers, @joshoatmeal. 🫡