giftFILM is the film division of The Gift Theatre Company. Its artistic directors are Kenny Mihlfried and John Kelly Connolly. giftFILM is not currently accepting submissions.

Mission Statement

1. To tell stories on film with honesty and simplicity.
2. To produce short and feature-length films and videos, primarily (but not exclusively) written, directed, and performed by ensemble or company members of the Gift Theatre Company.
3. To actively encourage an ongoing collaborative relationship between theater and filmmaking communities of the city of Chicago and surrounding areas.
4. To document (on film and/or video) the stage productions, giftED. activities, and miscellaneous events of the Gift Theatre Company.
5. To produce films and videos, primarily (but not exclusively) within the city of Chicago and surrounding areas, ultimately submitting the completed works to film and video festivals.
6. To provide a safe environment for actors and filmmakers alike, encouraging experimentation, and stretching the established limits of the motion picture medium.
7. To offer unique workshops and classes to the public, that will educate, inspire, and make the process of motion picture production accessible to anyone who has the desire to tell a story on film.
8. To host youth-oriented programs and events that will showcase the works of independent filmmakers to an audience of children, young adults, and the family as a whole.
9. To reach, and continue to seek out, new audiences.
10. To tackle projects we have always dreamed about.

  
Artistic Directors

Kenny Mihlfried

Kenny’s directorial debut was an 85-minute video called Tiny Little Creek (1997). It was awarded first place in the feature-length category of the Chicago Youth Film & Video Festival. Shortly after, Kenny directed, shot, and edited Trolling Atlantis (1997). As a full-time film and video major at Columbia College in Chicago, Kenny wrote and directed his first short films, The Cripple (1997) and Shiloh Park (1998), both of which he shot on 16mm, and edited with a razor blade. In September of ’98, he inhabited Iowa City with his long-time friend and collaborator, Michael Patrick Thornton, to shoot the third—and longest at 170 minutes—installment of their video features, What the River Said (1999). Before editing was completed in the spring of ’99, Kenny had shot and directed two more student films, Five Stages (1998) and Under His Wing (1999), the latter of which was included in Columbia’s Best of Film Tech II screening. Commissioned by Chicago actor, Fredric Stone, Kenny directed Will & Testament (2000), a documentary profiling Stone’s one-man, Shakespeare-inspired play of the same title. In June of 2001, Kenny graduated from Columbia College with a Bachelor of Arts in film and video. By that time, he had written five short and two feature-length screenplays, and composed several original scores. Kenny then teamed up with Columbia College psychology professor Dr. Paul Kapetanopoulos to produce A Day for Dads (2001), a 22-minute documentary which aired on CAN-TV. Currently under consideration for display on Radiohead’s official website is Fade Out (2003), Kenny’s first venture into music video production. An ensemble member of The Gift since it began, Kenny wants nothing more than to realize in moving pictures the qualities that have made and continue to make The Gift what it is on stage

John Kelly Connolly

John Kelly Connolly is an actor, playwright, and screenwriter. A graduate of the Second City Training Center, John has performed with various teams at Improv Olympics and The Playground, as well as plays with The Gift Theatre Company, Shapeshifters Theatre Company, The Raven Theatre Company, and other local productions.

John’s extensive commercial work includes national campaigns for Time Warner, Chevy, and the Santa Ana Hotel Star and Casino, as well as being “The Hungryman” for Swanson’s Dinners. Industrials include United Airlines and an award winning short for the Highland Park School District. Film credits include Cowlick Down, Drug Daddy, Cast of Thousands and Shut Eye.

John studied writing at Chicago Dramatists and Writer’s Boot Camp, where he completed his first full-length play KLANG! and screenplay, On Hold. Additional screenplays include Roundabout, Deadline, andTwo Tacos. He is currently finishing the play Strong Whiskey.