Season 3 of "The Film Lounge" Premieres Next Month

DES MOINES – From an astronaut's adventure into a wormhole to a ballet company's daily routine, the third season of "The Film Lounge" shows Iowa filmmaking is as creative as ever.

"Every new round of 'The Film Lounge' submissions renders new discoveries and surprises," said the show's executive producer, Chuck Czech of Iowa Public Television. "This season really demonstrates how film has found its way into different aspects of our lives.”

"The Film Lounge" is a television series co-produced by IPTV with Produce Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council, both divisions of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

The series showcases short, independent films by Iowa artists. Each one-hour episode includes a collection of films 2-20 minutes in length representing a range of artistic forms – documentary, experimental, narrative and animation; filmmakers discussing their work as an introduction to each film; and a Spotlight Feature highlighting active filmmaking projects.

Iowans can see the full slate of this year's films during watch parties in Des Moines and Cedar Falls, and during two different episodes scheduled to air on IPTV next month.

Information about "The Film Lounge" watch parties and air dates follows:

Watch Parties

• Thursday, Jan. 31 at 7:00 p.m. – Fleur Cinema & Cafe, 4545 Fleur Drive, Des Moines.
• Friday, Feb. 1 at 7:00 p.m. – University of Northern Iowa, Lang Hall Auditorium, Cedar Falls.

The watch parties offer a sneak peek at the new season and opportunities to meet some of the filmmakers, crew and actors. The public is invited to attend these free events and reservations are not required.

IPTV Air Dates

"The Film Lounge, Season 3, Episode 1" will air at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 3, on Iowa Public Television and features the following films:

• “The Spaceman,” by Tarrell Christie of Cedar Falls, follows a young African-American astronaut into a wormhole and examines the challenges he faces back home.
• “The Art of Living,” by John Spencer, Brody Kuhar and Jack Sarcone of Dubuque, focuses on three Iowa artists who use art to build community in their small towns.
• “Proving Ground,” by Jeffery Byrd of Cedar Falls, presents a Surrealist dream, capturing an act of performance art on film.
• “Portrait: A Ballet Film in Four Movements,” by Jack Meggers of Lansing, was created during the filmmaker’s six-week residency with Ballet Des Moines, when he recognized the dancers as both artists and living, breathing works of art themselves.
• “As Above, So Below,” by Joshua De Lanoit and River Glen Breitbach of Rickardsville, is a music video of the filmmaker’s own folk-pop song, which was loosely inspired by philosopher Joseph Campbell’s philosophical book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.”

This episode also includes a spotlight interview with Ann Hornaday, the chief film critic for The Washington Post, who discusses the role of critics and how her own approach is influenced by her Midwestern roots.

"The Film Lounge, Season 3, Episode 2" will air at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10, on Iowa Public Television.

• "Time is a Sh**ty Friend,” by Joshua De Lanoit of Iowa City, is a music video set to a song by the Iowa City musician Elizabeth Moen, who appears in an animated shape-shifting collage that represents the passage of time.
• “Continuity Cowboys,” by Matt Sindt of Iowa City, follows the struggle of two cowboys, caught in a standoff as continuity errors make their lives much more difficult.
• “Paintallica,” by Kaitlyn Busbee and Jamie Boling of Iowa City, is a documentary about a world-famous artists’ collaborative that visited an Iowa City festival to make a ruckus and make some art, including rough sculptures chainsawed from tree trunks.
• "The Dark Where I Could Only Hear,” by Extravision and Bruce James Bales of Des Moines, is a music video produced in collaboration with Ryan Stier that traces the start-to-finish evolution of a relationship, from the first flickers of subconscious recognition to the last traces of memory.
• “Creativity,” by Tiny Circus, uses stop-motion animation and interviews with community members in Grinnell  to explore how creativity is present in all of our lives.

This episode also includes a behind-the-scenes look at an independent film called “The Burial,” by Iowa filmmaker Jack Meggers, which was shot in a remote corner of northeast Iowa.

IPTV WORLD (.3)

Both episodes will have additional air times on IPTV WORLD (.3):

• "The Film Lounge, Season 3, Episode 1" Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 8:00 p.m.
• "The Film Lounge, Season 3, Episode 2" Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 8:00 p.m.

Iowa filmmakers may submit short films to "The Film Lounge, Season 4" beginning Feb. 1 through June 1, 2019. More information is available at thefilmlounge.org.

Programming support for "The Film Lounge" is provided by Produce Iowa-State Office of Media Production and the Iowa Arts Council, divisions of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.