The 22nd Chicago Underground Film Festival reflects a positively global mind-set, with selections from or about Argentina, Burma, Cyprus, and other far-flung countries. In fact “the underground” seems to get bigger all the time: Ben Russell, Ben Rivers, and collaborators Lev Kalman and Whitney Horn, all CUFF veterans whose work is included in this year’s edition, have recently gotten exposure at prominent European festivals. That’s not to say that CUFF has abandoned its local or transgressive roots; this year brings not only a program of amateur porn from the 90s, but also the world premiere of Night of the Blood Squatch, a locally produced short about a meeting between a “furry” and a Bigfoot conspiracy theorist. Adding to the neighborhood vibe are several free “bar talks,” informal panel discussions in the Logan Theatre lounge. —Ben Sachs
Privilege and Obsession In May 2014, Oberlin College student Stephen Graves spent the nine days between final exams and graduation videotaping commentary from his classmates as they prepared to enter the so-called real world with their extremely expensive ($60,000/year) liberal arts educations. The usual collegiate vices—drugs, alcohol, and intellectual arrogance—are on full display, and Graves takes a few potshots at his rich classmates with such supposedly damning imagery as cafeteria workers scraping leftover food into the garbage. If you want to know what’s wrong with higher education in this country, check out Andrew Rossi’s well-researched documentary Ivory Tower; this anecdotal exercise never rises above the vague observations and liberal posing of its well-lubricated interview subjects. —J.R. Jones 63 min. Sun 5/17, 7 PM.
Continues through Sun 5/17 Logan 2646 N. Milwaukee 773-252-0628cuff.org $9
