Recently I’ve been able to do more of what I love: meaning, I have been watching a lot of film and occasionally writing about it.
From the end of March through mid April, the Foundation for Asian American Independent Media and the Gene Siskel Film Center (associated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago) hosted the 22nd Annual Asian American Film Showcase. While I was not able to attend every film, I did see as many as possible, and wrote about them and the themes presented for the film website Bitch Flicks.
I also attended C2E2, Chicago’s pop culture and comic book convention put on by ReedPop, for something like the 6th year as a press representative. While film news was thin, I was able to attend some great panels and get an article out covering some of them.
Like many film obsessed folk, I was heartbroken when the Criterion Collection suddenly absconded from Hulu‘s offerings. However, being a true devotee, I dutifully made the switch to Filmstruck and opted for the Crit Collec upgrade. While at first the service was slow and unreliable (there are several articles about Filmstruck’s lack of technical support and streaming issues), I am now happy to report I’m watching more films than ever thanks to this great service.
Admittedly, it’s also helped that I have finally, after a year, settled into my life in Chicago. Local theaters keep me in classic, foreign, indie, and niche cinema year round.
Josephine M. YaLes 