CHICAGO—Sharon Gless, ( Queer as Folk, Burn Notice, Cagney & Lacey ) stars in the passionate lesbian drama Hannah Free, a new film about a lifelong love affair between an independent spirit and the woman she calls home. The film will have a one-week limited engagement in Chicago Sept. 25-Oct. 1 at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 164 N. State.
The independent film, shot entirely in the Chicago area last November, also stars Taylor Miller ( All My Children ) , Maureen Gallagher, Ann Hagemann, Kelli Strickland and Jacqui Jackson. Hannah Free is directed by Wendy Jo Carlton and written by Claudia Allen ( based on her acclaimed stage play ) .
Hannah Free had its world premiere in San Francisco in June, and has been playing to mostly sold-out audiences since that time. It received the Audience Award for Best Feature at the Philadelphia QFest in July. It is already booked around the world, including in Ireland, France, Germany and Norway, with dozens of major festival dates being set monthly.
The film will have 14 screenings at the Gene Siskel Film Center. One special screening, Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. will feature a Q&A with Sharon Gless and other key cast and crew, as well as a gala benefit following the screening. Those tickets will be sold separately through Ripe Fruit Films, producers of Hannah Free. All other tickets are available from the theater.
Executive Producers of Hannah Free are Tracy Baim, Claudia Allen and Sharon Zurek ( also the film's editor, from Black Cat Films ) . The producers are Sharon Gless, Martie Marro ( also the film's music composer ) and Wendy Jo Carlton. Director of photography was Gretchen Warthen.
Tickets go on sale Wed., Aug. 5, at 10 a.m. Tickets to each screening are $10/general admission. Other ticket prices are $7/student and $5/Film Center members. All tickets ( except for Sept. 26, 7 p.m. show ) may be purchased at the Film Center Box Office, 164 N. State. Both general admission and Film Center member tickets are available through Ticketmaster, 800-982-2787, www.ticketmaster.com , and all Ticketmaster outlets. The Film Center and its Box Office are open 5-9 p.m., Monday-Friday; 2-9 p.m., Saturday; and 2-6 p.m., Sunday. For more information about the Film Center, call 312-846-2800 ( 24-hour movie hotline ) or 312-846-2600 ( general information, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday ) , or visit www.siskelfilmcenter.org .
Discounted parking is available for $14 for nine hours at the InterPark SELF-PARK at 20 E. Randolph. A rebate ticket can be obtained from the Film Center Box Office.
Sept. 26 gala info: Sharon Gless and the cast of Hannah Free, along with director Wendy Jo Carlton, writer Claudia Allen and the producers and crew, will attend a special benefit screening and gala Saturday, Sept 26, 7 p.m. at the Gene Siskel Film Center. After the screening, there will be a Q&A at the Film Center. Then, guests will walk one block north to the Renaissance Chicago Hotel, One West Wacker, for a gala featuring hors d'oeuvres and wine, beer and soda, all part of the $100 ticket price for the evening. Mix and mingle with the stars of Hannah Free, and benefit the production of a feature film made in Chicago. For more information, call 773-387-2394, email info@hannahfree.com , see www.hannahfree.com , www.twitter.com/hannahfree or see the Hannah Free fan page on Facebook.
