Photo courtesy of Fantasma, Inc.

A still photo from the film "Migrating Forms," which The Village Voice described as "an excavation of sulfurous psychic muck." "Migrating Forms" plays at The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St., at 7 p.m. tomorrow and 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Friday September 28, 2001

Pick a film that's playing this weekend - it's almost guaranteed to be as stale as the popcorn from the concession stand. There is, however, an alternative.

Cinemad, a local magazine about underground film, is presenting two feature-length films from 25-year-old underground Chicago filmmaker James Fotopoulos this weekend at the Screening Room.

Each show will consist of one short and one feature-length film by Fotopoulos.

"Back Against The Wall," a film about the subculture of lingerie modeling in the Midwest, will show with the three-minute short, "The Sun."

"Migrating Forms," which played in Tucson earlier this year as part of the Arizona International Film festival, will show with the short film "The Circle."

Mike Plante, publisher of Cinemad, arranged screenings for "Migrating Forms" for the Arizona International Film Festival last April.

For Plante, arranging these screenings fits right in with the purpose of his magazine.

"We want to see good films get out. Tucson doesn't have much of an outlet," Plante said.

He especially wants to screen films that people would normally not get to see in Tucson, and films that are intriguing without being intimidating.

"The art film crowd tends to be elitist. They want to have their own thing," Plante said. "The films we're interested in are for everyone."

Fotopoulos' films are memorable, for both their aesthetics and their content. Seeing his films can be enjoyable just for the experience itself or for details the viewer may be especially looking out for.

"A photography student would like his films, because the imagery is so striking," Plante said. He added that the highly stylized acting and sound design are also worth paying close attention to.

"Migrating Forms" shocked Tucson audiences when it played here during the Arizona International Film Festival.

"People were not ready for it," said Plante, who describes the film as "very unnerving." Fotopoulos' work has been compared to the work of other groundbreaking, disturbing filmmakers such as David Lynch and David Cronenberg.

But while the films may not be the most heartwarming, Plante said he believes these films aren't just for the art film crowd.

"Anybody can get something out of these films," Plante said. "There is a lot of emotion and ideas in the images, but it's not dumbed down."

Making sure anybody can enjoy underground film is one of Cinemad's goals.

"Basically we cover new underground cinema," Plante said. "Not the typical trash, but films you've never heard of or that have trouble getting distribution. We write it in a way that is accessible."

Cinemad enjoys worldwide distribution and readership across the country.

After Tucson, these films will screen at film festivals in Belgium and London.