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Caged Heat and Tribute to Roberta Collins concert @ SLIFF

As part of a celebration of B-movie actress Roberta Collins (see Tribute to Roberta Collins), SLIFF offers one her key films, "Caged Heat." Decades before "Silence of the Lambs," acclaimed director Jonathan Demme made his debut under the auspices of drive-in king Roger Corman (a former SLIFF Lifetime Achievement Award honoree) with this women-in-prison classic. When Jacqueline (Erica Gavin) is caught in a drug bust and sent to the hoosegow, she falls in with a group of inmates -- including Collins -- who eventually rise up against the sadistic warden (Barbara Steele). Although certainly delivering the nudity and violence that Corman required in his exploitation fare, Demme takes a slyly satirical approach that even manages to incorporate a bit of feminist perspective and social consciousness. For contrast, this year's SLIFF also features Demme's latest, "A Master Builder."

Screen Syndicate, a side project of Southern Illinois-based Americana band Stace England and the Salt Kings, explores the fascinating history of Roger Corman's New World Pictures and the exploitation films made by the company in the 1970s. The life of actress Roberta Collins -- a Hollywood story of sadly unfulfilled promise -- is the vehicle used to navigate the period. Collins lit up the screen in films like "The Big Doll House," "Women in Cages," and "Death Race 2000," often outshining such contemporaries as Pam Grier. But Collins was unable to break out of the B-movie grind, playing minor roles in increasingly poor productions before finally exiting the business. She died in obscurity in 2008. Screen Syndicate combines original songs, film clips, trailers, and other material into a unique live-music experience that pays tribute to Collins. The band has performed at numerous film festivals in the U.S. and Europe -- appearing twice at SLIFF -- with shows about pioneering African-American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux and Cairo, Ill. The concert is part of a double bill with "Caged Heat" (see film listing), which co-starred Collins.