Mass Romantic
a new DIY feature by Richard Paro
"Mass Romantic, is so indie, it hurts." - BlackBook
"a living, breathing example of what it takes to get along.
Isn't that what politics should be?" - Rob Christopher, Chicagoist
"Critics' pick" - Time Out Chicago
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UPCOMING SCREENINGS & EVENTS!
Mass Romantic is an Official Selection of Reel Time Film Festival
-- When: December 9-12, 2008
-- Where: New York, NY
-- Director Richard Paro and members of the cast and crew will be in attendance.
Mass Romantic is an Official Selection of British Film Festival LA
-- When: May 3-8, 2009
-- Where: Los Angeles, CA
-- Director Richard Paro and members of the cast and crew will be in attendance.
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PAST SCREENINGS & EVENTS!
Mass Romantic is an Official Selection of Vacant Era Film Festival
-- When: Saturday, October 4, 2008, 9:00 PM
-- Where: Norman, OK
-- Location: The Sooner Theatre , 101 E Main St
-- Director Richard Paro and members of the cast and crew will be in attendance.
Mass Romantic is an official selection of the Illinois International Film Festival
-- When: Saturday, September 20, 2008, 3:00 PM
-- Where: St. Charles, IL
-- Location: The Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main Street
-- Director Richard Paro and members of the cast and crew will be in attendance.
Mass Romantic is an Official Selection of the Portobello Film Festival
-- When: August 28, 2008 - September 14, 2008
-- Where: London, England
-- "The biggest celebration of independent film in Europe" - The Independent
Mass Romantic is a Drama Day selection of the Deep Fried Film Festival
-- When: August 13th, 2008, 7:00 PM
-- Where: Lanarkshire, Scotland
-- Location: The Georgian, 26 Lefroy Street, Coatbridge
Mass Romantic to be awarded Honorable Mention at The Indie Gathering
International Film Festival & Conference
-- When: Friday, August 1, 2008 - Sunday, August 3, 2008
-- Where: Cleveland, OH
-- Producer Cyra K. Polizzi will speak on the Casting Panel Discussion on Sunday, August 3rd at 4:00pm. Cyra will discuss the unique experience of casting 40 actors on the micro-budget film Mass Romantic, as well as the insights she has gleaned working on numerous films as a director and actor.
Mass Romantic selected for DIY Point program of Entzaubert Queer Film Festival
-- When: Thursday, May 15th 2008 - Sunday, May 18th 2008
-- Where: Schwarzer Kanal, Michael Kirch Str. 20, Berlin, Germany
-- As a radical, non-commercial festival, Entzaubert Queer Film Festival compiles a DIY Point program. DIY Point films are offered to viewers throughout the festival in a separate viewing room regardless of the scheduled films, giving viewers more choices in creating their own experiences.
Mass Romantic trailer is screening at Film Loop...topia
-- Full Voice brings a collection of entertaining and provocative shorts to Looptopia, "Chicago's White Night"
-- When: May 2, 2008 from 5:00pm to Midnight
-- Where: 1 E. Jackson Blvd (at State), Chicago
Mass Romantic is an Official Selection of the Women's International Film Festival
-- When: Sunday, March 30th 2008, 4:30pm
-- Where: AMC Cocowalk 16 (3015 Grand Ave., Miami, FL 33133)
-- Director Richard Paro will be in attendance
-- Special guests at WIFF 2008 include Oscar nominee Ruby Dee, Ally Sheedy and Chelsea Handler
Mass Romantic World Premiere Event Sells Out!
-- Screening: Thursday, March 13th, 2008 at 7:30pm at Landmark's Century Centre Cinema (2828 N. Clark St at Diversey and Broadway)
-- Q&A: Immediately following the screening there will be a brief Q&A with the director, cast and crew.
-- Official Party: Join the cast and crew after the screening at Mickey's Grille & Pub (just across the street at 2831 N. Broadway). Bring in your Mass Romantic ticket stub for a free drink during the party!
-- Soundtrack: The world premiere event is the only place to get your hands on advance copies of the Mass Romantic: Music from the Motion Picture CD before the March 18th street date!
-- Tickets: $15 ($10 Artist/Industry/Student/Senior/Low Income).
Mass Romantic Rough Cut Awarded "Best Director"at LINK Film Fest
-- Screening followed by Q&A with members of cast/crew
-- When: Thursday, October 4th, 2007 at 6:00pm
-- Where: 610 Columbia St., Olympia, WA 98501
-- What: The LINK Film Festival is part of the SURGE Film Festival Network
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Buy the Soundtrack!
Mass Romantic: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack
-- All proceeds help to fund Mass Romantic post-production
The Musicians!
Heidi Spencer
Head of Femur
The Blasphomatics
Coyote Grace
Dave Maxon
Home Demo Vixens
Carrie Lydon
Kate Brown
ROFO
Martha Berner
Actor Slash Model
Renee Louise Carafice
Ticklepenny Corner
(Support independent music & film!)
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Check out pics from some of our latest screenings!
Click "View All Images" to see larger images.
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Mass Romantic on IMDB
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Mass Romantic
Jamie and Erin's activist theater company sets out to create a play based on PJ's book of political short stories. PJ hasn't written much in a while... or socialized much either, except for hanging out at Olson's vegan cafe. Erin's girlfriend Bel, having just moved from New York, prepares for a conference and searches for an apartment, as well as community, in Chicago. Meanwhile, Billy is void of direction even with the self-fulfillment classes, but his partner Sally hopes his new job at Olson's cafe will help. Olson's partner Annette is writing her third quantum physics book and feeling uninspired... as are her students.
When you're an artist, academic or activist and known for your passion, where do you turn when it wanes? Your work? Your partner? How do you fall in love with life again?
112 Minutes . Black & White . 2008 . Not Rated . English
FAQ about MASS ROMANTIC
What is this movie about?
MASS ROMANTIC follows activists and academics struggling to find love while creating political art.
Yeah, ok, but what happens?
It’s a talky ensemble movie, the characters deal with new relationships, old relationships, new projects and old insecurities. They rehearse a play, dance, play music, talk & kiss. So if you are looking for explosions, car chases, mob conspiracies and secretive people smoking in trench coats, this isn’t it.
Still want to know more? Check out the synopses above.
Wait, is this a gay movie?
Yes, two of the four main relationships involve queer characters (Bel and her girlfriend Erin and Annette and her partner Olson, who is F2M). Also, there are other queer characters and queer subject matter throughout.
If you see a lot of gay movies, you will probably notice this one is a little different from most. This isn’t a coming out movie or a triumphing over/succumbing to homophobia movie. MASS ROMANTIC celebrates the everyday lives of queer people and their allies, and acknowledges the importance of allies in building meaningful, enriching communities. In doing this, MASS ROMANTIC focuses on the character’s relationships, while touching on queer politics and transphobia. It also touches on other controversial topics such as healthcare, abortion, food activism and corporate control of media.
So, yes, it’s a queer movie. It’s also an activist movie and a relationship movie.
Who made this film?
We did! After years of development, the director self-financed MASS ROMANTIC and we shot it in the sweltering Chicago heat of late summer in just 11 days featuring 40 actors in over 10 locations, producing 33 hours of footage. The theme of coalition-building present in MASS ROMANTIC is reflected by the diverse group of individuals involved in the making of the film, many of whom are underrepresented in American cinema and identify as women, LGBTQ, people of color, non-native speakers and/or activists. Plus, the film features 13 independent bands, including live performances by Carrie Lydon, Kate Brown, ROFO and members of Head of Femur. A full list of the crew is available at www.mudgeonsoul.org .
Do I know anyone in the movie?
Perhaps, Mass Romantic features... Brenda Barrie, Lori Duncan, Petrucia Finkler, Crystal Hartford, Niki Mohrlant, Cyra K. Polizzi, Richard Paro, Teissia Treynet, Christopher Weiher, With... Patrick Babbitt, Riebana Biegel, Kate Brown, Mort Burke, Tracie Dahlke, Samantha Garcia, Kevin Gladish, Sarah Goeden, Ruta James, J Kilgore, Sarah B. McLaughlin, Mercy B. Oni, Breahan Eve Pautsch, Ellen Peace, Robin Posavetz, Christopher Rutherford, And... Gio Babbo, Kristina Burkel, Thomas Clayton, Rodrigo Dienstmann, Mike Elsener, Lauree Enos, Matt Focht, Paula Setta-Garcia, Jennifer Koesling, Carrie Lydon, Lynette Morris, Rachel Murphy, Kate Rickenbacker, Heidi Schreck, Tiffany Villarin.
How much of the film is improvised?
A couple scenes were completely scripted and a couple scenes were completely improvised, but most scenes were partly scripted and partly improvised based on a detailed skeleton script, workshopping and rehearsals.
Hey, were you guys the ones who shut down my street to have a place to park all your trailers?
No, you are probably talking about one of the Batman movies or some other studio picture. If we were shooting on your street, you may not have even noticed. This is a very DIY, dogma-esq film.
I live in Chicago, can I be in your next movie?
Anyone can audition, check www.mudgeonsoul.org for upcoming projects.
When can I see MASS ROMANTIC?
Check back here or on www.mudgeonsoul.org for screening information.