The movie, “Eye of the Sandman” premiered on November 20th to a sell out audience at the Gene Siskel Theater in Chicago. Eye of the Sandman is the product of Split Pillow. Split Pillow is a Chicago based non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to promote independent filmmaking in Chicago.
Split Pillow identifies and promotes local writers/directors who lack the funding to bring their vision to the big screen. Eye of the Sandman was produced for $18,000 and is an adaptation of Der Sandmann, a German short story written in 1816 by E.T.A. Hoffman.
The original story is a dark tale of a sandman who steals eyes. Ultimately the main character is driven to madness and in the end he leaps to his death. Eye of the Sandman is a humorous and campy take on Der Sandman. Natalie is a one eyed bride to be that inherits a mansion. The mansion awakens her psychic abilities and she becomes obsessed with a mysterious stranger who threatens her marriage, her house and her other eye. Add in a devious father who thwarts lesbian wedding planners and you have a full blown dark comedy.
Eye of the Sandman was written and directed by M.T. Cozzola. In addition to the November 20th premier, "Eye" will play November 21st and November 23rd at the Gene Siskel Theater in Chicago.
Executive Director Dennis Belogorsky answers questions for The Examiner regarding the mission of Split Pillow.
How many films per year does Split Pillow sponsor?
We used to produce one feature film per year plus the Chicago 360 documentary series (5 segments per film). In the near future we'll not be producing a feature film every year, but rather focus on yearly installments of the Chicago 360 series.
Do you pick individual writers/directors to sponsor and what is the process for determining who you will sponsor?
In the past we've picked the writers/directors based on scripts that we've received. The criteria we look for in a script are: Chicago-centricity, low-budget feasibility, and uniqueness.
Do you depend primarily on private donations?
Private donors provide more than half of all our operating revenues.
What is your goal? Do you want to launch the careers of talented people? Are you hoping that the films you back are commercially successful or simply artistically successful?
All of the above. Although commercial success is a relative term. First and foremost we want to make films that are relevant to our community. Everything else is icing on the cake.
Why was Eye of the Sandman chosen?
We wanted to do a genre film, and somehow the original short story ended up in the hands of a producer - Dave Evans. A script was commissioned - first time we actually commissioned a script - that fulfilled some of the things that we wanted to see in a film. The script went through several phases until it became a more of a tongue in cheek pastiche of several genres - B-movie horror, screwball comedy, and murder mystery.
What was the budget?
Total budget (including post-production) was about $18,000
Where do the professionals come from who help in producing the films? Are they volunteers?
Some are volunteers, others are our peers in the community with whom we may have gone to film school, or worked on commercial projects. We were able to pay the principal crew members (cinematographer, sound guy, production designer). Everyone else was there mostly for experience and networking.
Are you a Chicago organization or are you nationwide?
Split Pillow is a Chicago-based and Chicagoan-fueled motion picture production company, with main offices located in Ravenswood.
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