PORTAGE PARK — Two independent filmmakers who said unprofessional behavior by Patio Theater management forced them to cancel screenings at the newly reopened theater are warning others to avoid booking shows at the Portage Park theater.
But Charlie Burns — who manages both the Patio Theater and the Portage Theater in the Six Corners Shopping District — said Allie Loukas, the director "Kathryn Upside Down," and Brock Riebe, the director of "Incall," were impossible to work with, and are at fault for the canceled screenings.
Heather Cherone says it's a typical "he said, she said" situation:
Loukas, who also wrote and starred in her movie, said at first she was thrilled when the management of the Patio Theater, 6008 W. Irving Park Road, offered to host the premiere of her movie in December, soon after the theater reopened after being closed since April because of a broken heating and air conditioning system.
But problems started right away, Loukas said, when she toured the theater and realized it was in much worse condition than she had been told to expect for the showing of her comedy about a 20-something woman suffering an identity crisis.
"Then we realized that the Blu Ray player and projector was broken," Loukas said, adding that theater management "just didn't care."
Alex Milcarek, who helps run both the Patio and Portage theaters, said Loukas was "rude, complained and only had negative comments about our venue."
Loukas failed to bring the film in the correct format to test it on the Patio's big screen, and decided on her own to cancel the event, Milcarek said.
"We did everything [Loukas] asked and were nothing but courteous and kind," Milcarek said.
Loukas said she brought her film in a variety of formats, and the theater couldn't play any of them.
Loukas said she was embarrassed to have to cancel the premiere of "Kathryn Upside Down" at the Patio, which she had promoted online and on television.
"People went to the theater, and the lights were off," Loukas said. "It definitely didn't make me look too good."
Eventually, Loukas' Chicago-based film premiered — more than a month later than planned — at Landmark's Century Cinema in Highland Park. The film was also shown Thursday at the Landmark theater in Lakeview, she said.
"I hope this will warn other independent filmmakers to proceed with great caution if they are even considering using the Patio Theater to host their event," Loukas said.
Riebe said his experience was similar to Loukas' when he booked the theater for the premiere of his movie, "Incall," which he called a cult horror film about a "down-on-his-luck" masseuse who begins murdering his clients.
"It was a horrible experience," Riebe said. "I feel like I have a responsibility to let people know what happened and make an informed decision."
But Burns said Riebe made a series of escalating demands, insulted the theater's staff and threatened to tarnish the theater's reputation if anything went wrong with his screening.
"There seemed no way to appease [Riebe] in spite of our efforts to accommodate him," Burns said.
Like Loukas, Riebe said the theater's broken Blu Ray player and projector made it impossible to screen his film as scheduled in January. The movie is expected to premiere in March, Riebe said.
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