The Ann Arbor Film Festival premiered a new format for the popular Cinemasports film challenge, known as the "Iron Chef" of filmmaking. Partnering with EdgeFest, the Kerrytown Concert House's avant-garde music festival, musicians improvised live performances to short films conceived, shot and completed that day by enthusiastic filmmaking teams from Ann Arbor and beyond.

Filmmaking teams assembled at 9AM on Saturday, October 18th to receive "ingredients" they needed to include in their 3-minute silent videos: a) string b) repitition c) something shiny d) going over the edge. Nine teams completed videos, including a team from San Francisco that participated remotely by sending their video to the event through the internet.

This marriage of improv music with improv film created a suspenseful and rewarding evening, with a packed house appreciating the musical talents of: Kurt Prisbe, percussion; Ken Thomas, piano; Joel Peterson, bass; Marko Novachcoff , reeds; James Cornish, electric trumpet/violin; Piotr Michalowski, reeds.

Awards were selected by an Ann Arbor Film Festival panel of Academy Award-winning animator Brooke Keesling, avant-garde instrument inventor and musician Frank Pahl, and UM professor of Screen Arts & Cultures, Dan Herbert.

The winning video came from first-time filmmakers Laura Rusello and Tony Morgan of Team Dispersion.  Laura summed up the experience: "That was one of the funnest days of my life!" (see photo of Laura and Tony below, along with a Dick Cheney-masked McDonald's scene from their video. Piotr Michalowski pictured on the bass clarinet).

Special Note: The event received a great review by Will Stewart of the Ann Arbor News on 10/20/08 “One of the high points was Saturday’s coordinated “Improv Film Meets Improv Music” effort between the Ann Arbor Film Festival and Edgefest, in which several local and national filmmakers made short films on Saturday, then screened them in the Kerrytown Shops while a band led by local reedman Piotr Michalowski and trumpeter James Cornish. This was a perfect fusion of media, with the band’s soundtracks playing perfect counterpoint to the films’ often playful, occasionally violent and gruesome, images. The band deserves special praise for performing what was one of the festivals few fully improvised sets and pulling it off with aplomb. In a festival that draws top-class musicians from around the globe, it’s special that some of the best are from right here in our backyard.”