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Read the press release here.

'Distant Architect' Brings Sci-fi Film Noir to Chicago

By Darryl Holliday | October 30, 2014 5:53am
 “The Distant Architect” is a science fiction film noir about “a young architect named Karen who begins to question what she knows about herself and her body” that will be shot in Bridgeport, the South Loop and the South Side.
“The Distant Architect” is a science fiction film noir about “a young architect named Karen who begins to question what she knows about herself and her body” that will be shot in Bridgeport, the South Loop and the South Side.
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Clara Alcott

LOGAN SQUARE — A new sci-fi film set for production in Chicago has some roots in Logan Square, and 10 days left to secure crowd-sourced funding.

The Distant Architect” is a science fiction film noir about “a young architect named Karen who begins to question what she knows about herself and her body” that will be shot in Bridgeport, the South Loop and the South Side.

The film’s script was written by Logan Square resident and director Clara Alcott, a Columbia College alum, former video gallery curator and set coordinator for the TV show "Empire," currently shooting in Chicago.

“I wanted to make a very visual piece, so I chose architecture as an anchor for a narrative setting as well as the profession of the main character,” Alcott said. “I also love science fiction and experimental media, so my writing usually veers toward sci-fi and surrealist atmospheres.”

A Kickstarter for the film will wrap Nov. 8, and the effort so far has collected about $3,500 of its $9,000 funding goal. The movie is also backed by the Near Northwest Arts Council.

“As a film noir, the piece is heavy with tension and mood,” according to the Kickstarter. “Although science fiction sounds 'grand' and hard to pull off, this is a story and character-based project ... Chicago's strong architectural heritage and industrial cityscape provide great locations."

The film’s lead character, Karen, encounters questions of self and her existence in true sci-fi style: “Are there parts of her that are cybernetic? Does it matter? Can she still be considered a 'normal woman'?”

Alcott’s film crew includes a group of friends and professional producers scattered throughout Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, many of whom have worked with Alcott on past projects. The crew will finalize a production plan, including scheduling, building props and casting, during the upcoming cold months. Then, after the winter snow melts, they’ll shoot for six days.

The group hopes to edit the film over the summer, just in time to apply for a series of film festivals this fall.

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