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Jeffrey Moss

We chat with a local filmmaker participating in the Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival.

Tuesday Nov 13, 2007.     By Anna Pulley

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It's November here in the Windy City and you know what that means: pumpkins on clearance, streetlights decorated with dried corn husks and Reeling, the Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival. This year's fest brings 11 days of films from 28-plus countries, one of which comes from local filmmaker Jeffrey Moss. His compelling drama, "The Sisterhood of Night," is an adaptation from a short story by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steven Millhauser, whose other works include the inspiration for the 2006 film "The Illusionist."

Moss' movie, which screened at Landmark Theatre (2828 N. Clark) on November 10, focuses on a group of young, small-town girls, who form a secret society bound by a vow of silence. One of the girls outs members of the society as a band of sexual deviants bent on corrupting the town's daughters. It's a story about the limits of privacy and how we deal with the unknown. Luckily, these themes didn't carry over to our candid conversation with Moss, who dishes about his favorite Pilsen spots and why fall is the perfect time for reacquainting yourself with your favorite films.

If I were to come to your neighborhood, where would you insist I visit?
My place for a cocktail—first things first—and then I guess the many art galleries that fill the Chicago Arts District in Pilsen, especially on Second Fridays. Then back to my place for more cocktails and maybe a snack.

What's your favorite hidden gem in Chicago?
Currently, Mundial Cafe [Mundial Cocina Mestiza, 1640 W. 18th St.] on West 18th in Pilsen—the best Mexican food ever.

Tell me the best Chicago-related advice you've ever given or received.
Walk whenever possible, and look up.

What films [or filmmakers] are you watching these days
I'm reading "Conversations with Woody Allen" by Eric Lax, which has sent me on a wild spree of re-watching favorites, along with a few that I haven't seen by him. Fall is a good time to do this, right? He's probably shooting something.

What's one thing we should know about you that we don't?
Well, don't tell anyone but—I'm gay.

Is your audience primarily queer? If so, do you feel limited in any way because of that?
My audience is not primarily queer, nor do I aim for that. "The Sisterhood of Night" is not necessarily a queer film, being more about girls at a certain age on the one hand, and how adults deal with the unknown on the other. In fact, silence is the most audacious and controversial issue or idea in the film, from my standpoint. "Come alone and tell no one." The queer content is suggested and mysterious, as is everything the girls are doing in this film. It's up to the audience.

The Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival runs through November 18 at various locations. Visit reelingfilmfestival.org for more information.