Marlies Carruth's Girlfriends does lunch with a trio of late twentysomething Ivy League college pals locked out of their Jeep after a Saturday shopping spree. Black and white, gay and straight, well-grounded and completely discombobulated, the women's enduring friendship provides the basis for fast and funny repartee that keeps this comedy in constant motion.

Elaine's an aggressive, overachieving black attorney with a shambles of a love life; Sarah's a free-spirited New Yorker; and Annie's an ever-understanding lesbian earth mother. The drama unfolds when the trio stumble upon a holdup and Elaine turns out to have a gun. ("I'm your worst nightmare: a black woman without her housekeys.")

Carruth grew up in Philadelphia, graduated from Williams College, and had successful careers in banking and advertising before her search for a creative outlet led her to Northwestern's film program (where she met producers Jonathan Adler and Kelly Luchtman). On a whim, she called John Canning, Jr., a top Chicago venture capitalist and lunch partner from her banking days, and gave him Girlfriends' script. Canning came in, committing the "under a million" dollars necessary to shoot Girlfriends in 35mm and launch Carruth's ISS (I'm Still Standing) Productions.

Girlfriends shot for three weeks in October with Scott Erlinder, a second unit d.p. on many studio shoots, behind the camera; other crew members learned on the job. "Our wardrobe mistress may not have had any film experience, but she definitely knew clothes," says Carruth. Most of the film takes place outside with Magnificent Mile, Chicago's Fifth Avenue, a key location.

The filmmakers expect to have an answer print in March. Lisa Brooks, who Carruth describes as an undiscovered female vocalist in the vein of k.d. lang, is writing five original songs that could be the basis for a soundtrack album. All rights are available.

Cast: Jaqueline Fleming, Bethany Anderson, McKinley Carter, Michael Spitz, Ethan Kent, Linda Fontaine, Eric Danson. Crew: Producers: Marlies Carruth, Kelly Luchtman, Jonathan Adler; Screen-writer/Director, Carruth; Executive Producers: John A. Canning Jr., Marlies Carruth; Director of Photography, Scott Erlinder; Costumes, Josie Miner; Editor, Scott Marvel; Music, Lisa Brooks. Contact: Jonathan Adler, ISS Productions, 155 North Michigan Ave., Suite 623, Chicago, IL 60601. Tel: (312) 616-4461, Fax: (312) 565-7118.

The Broken Giant - Estep Nagy
The Delta - Ira Sachs
Fame Whore - Jon Moritsuga
Girlfriends - Marlies Carruth
Lewis & Clark & George - Rod Mccall
Loose Women - Paul Bernard
Occasional Hell - Salome Breziner
Rudy Blue - John Werner
Sam - Richie Vetter
Shooting Lilly - Arthur Borman