Nearly 30 films to be showcased at returning Peoria film festival [Video]

PEORIA (25News Now) – The Big Picture Film Festival is back at the Peoria Riverfront Museum this weekend after a four-year hiatus.

Put on by Big Picture Peoria with the help of a Business of Art grant from the Community Foundation of Central Illinois, the festival will showcase Midwest talent this year.

Big Picture Co-Founder Doug Luenig said this year’s event will be bigger and better than ever before.

“In 2018 and 2019 we were pretty local, but this [festival] is reaching out to filmmakers in Chicago, St. Louis, and a 200-mile radius around Peoria,” Luenig said.

Twenty-eight films made by 61 artists will be screened on Saturday night. Luenig said in a community like Peoria, they saw a need to show off local filmmakers again.

“Visual artists get all kinds of shows throughout the year, but film artists don’t get that,” Luenig said. “We’re really excited to bring this collaborative effort to bring filmmakers …