CHICAGO UNDERGROUND EXPANDS TO INCLUDE MORE FILMS, HONORS PAUL MORRISSEY The Chicago Underground Film Festival expands to include an extra evening of screenings for 1998. The festival will run August 11-16 at the Theatre Building, 1225 West Belmont Ave. Chicago, IL. Tickets for all screenings will go on sale July 15 through the Theatre Building box office (charge by phone 773-327-5252) and through Chicago area Ticketmaster outlets. Festival Passes are only $50 and allow entrance to all screenings and parties. Single admissions are $6.00 per program. The six day event will kick off on Tuesday, August 11 with the Mid West Premiere of Tamara Hernandez's debut feature "Men Cry Bullets" which won the Grand Jury prize at SXSW this year. Hernandez has been called "a cross between John Waters and R.W. Fassbinder." following "Bullets" an opening night party featuring music from Maureen Tucker, former drummer for the legendary Velvet Underground, will be held at Thurston's (1248 W. George). Closing the festival on Sunday, August 16 will be the World Premiere of Chicago filmmaker & musician Anna Cimini's "Driver," A visually engaging minimal narrative set in the near future. After the film, the festival will conclude with an awards presentation and closing party featuring critically acclaimed Chicago Alternative Country artists The Handsome Family. Since the inception of CUFF in 1994, the festival has chosen to honor selected influential filmmakers by bestowing them with a "lifetime achievement" award. Past recipients have included Chicago documentarian Tom Palozzolo, Kenneth Anger, George Kuchar and John Waters. Last year, in addition to Waters a posthumous award was given to the late Jack Smith, in whose memory the award was also christened. The recipient of this year's lifetime achievement award will be Paul Morrissey. Morrissey is best known for his work with Andy Warhol's "Factory" in the late '60s. Two of Morrissey's films will be screened, his 1974 European production, "Flesh For Frankenstein", to be shown in its original uncut, 3D version; and the 1972 Morrissey/Warhol feminist satire, "Women in Revolt" featuring Warhol drag queen superstars Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling and Jackie Curtis. Other features set to screen at CUFF '98 include: -- The World Premiere of Jim Sikora's first digital video feature, "Rock & Roll Punk," written and produced by former SST Records honcho Joe Carducci, who now runs Provisional Films & Video. --Lou Adler's rarely seen 1982 cult music film, "Ladies and Gentlemen The Fabulous Stains." The film, which prophetically predated the "riot grrl" scene of the '90s, is also noteworthy for performances from former Sex Pistols Paul Cook and Steve Jone's as well as the acting debut of a 15 year-old Laura Dern. Filmmaker Sarah Jacobson, who's detailed oral history of the film was published in Grand Royal earlier this year, will introduce the film at CUFF. -- The World Premiere of Camera Obscura's "Virtue," a virtual reality genderfuck. -- The World Premiere of Randy Cole's surreal digital nightmare, "Flush" -- The Midwest Premiere of "Me and Will," a biker road movie from directors/stars Melissa Behr & Sherrie Rose. -- The Midwest Premiere of Lance Weiler and Stefan Avalos' $900 digital feature "The Last Broadcast" -- Kevin DiNovi's "Surrender Dorothy," winner at both Slamdance and NYUFF. -- George Ratliff's Neo-noir western "Purgatory County" -- Todd Verow's "Little Shots of Happiness" -- Ian Kerkhoff's "Wasted" Documentary features selected for CUFF include Penelope Spheeris' Sundance hit, "The Decline Of Western Civilization Part III," Catherine Gund Saalfield's portrait of controversial performance artist Ron Athey, "Hallelujah!", Iara Lee's "Modulations," John Carluccio's "Battle Sounds, The world Premiere of "Whipped", Sasha Waters & Iana Porter's portrait of several New York City dominatrixes. "Jefftowne" by Daniel Kraus, "Circus Redickuless" by Phillip Glaus, "The Year of the Pig" by Greg McKean & Dan Sykes, "Herd Mentality" by Mark Hejnar, "Independent's Day" by Marina Zenovitch, David Vasibond's "Juicy Danger Meets Burning Man" and Igor Vamos' "Le Petomane, Fin-De-Diecle Fartiste" a portrait of a French artist who entertained the upper class of the Belle Ipoque by controlling his farts. Among the nearly one hundred short films to be screened are World Premieres of "Freeworld" by Patrick Harrison, "Hoofboy" by Will Keenan, "Silo" by Bill Ward and "My Brother Cicero" by Tony Nittoli, as well as Chicago Premieres of "Wheels Of Fury" by Dan & Paul Dinello, "Sleeping Beauties" by Jamie Babbit, "Gas Huffin' Bad Gals" , "The Bystander From Hell" by Matthew Harrison and "Hellzapopin'" by Gray Miller. The complete festival schedule will be posted on the festival website at http://www.cuff.org next week. 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