Last week, I attended the premiere of Fancypants, a film produced by Chicago’s Humble Pie Films. It was fitting that the event was held in Chicago, as the city is present in virtually every aspect of the movie.

Humble Pie Films is headed by the creative trio of writer-director Joshua Russell, cinematographer-writer Jim Andre and producer-director Daniel Hanson. Their goal is to make the highest-quality films on low budgets. Russell, who also is an instructor at DePaul University, told me that he hoped Fancypants would open some doors for future indie films and for future projects utilizing Chicago and Chicago talent. He compared Chicago to “the little engine that could.”

Hanson, a native of Florida but a Chicago resident of 20 years, told me that Humble Pie Films has three feature-length projects set for pre-production next year. Hanson stated, “Chicago has a great film industry.”

The film was shot in Chicago and featured many of the city’s landmarks. The Congress Theater, the Bohemian National Cemetery and Michael Reese Hospital were three of the most prominent Chicago sites.

Productions like this mean a lot of money to Chicago. Fancypants brought a lot of work to Chicago actors and crew members, along with tourism dollars. Perhaps most important, it showcased Chicago as a place where movies could be made (from conception to realization).

The film was headlined by Robert Carradine, Richard Kind, Nick Turturro and Roddy Piper. Chicago native and former American Gladiator Beth Horn was also featured, along with several Chicagoans making their debuts, such as Patrick Gleason and Jackson Dunn. Perhaps the biggest star of all (and certainly the biggest winner) was Chicago!

— John Wroblewski, distribution specialist