Stephen Cone.

One of the very best films of 2012 will be receiving a week-long run at Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center beginning October 26th. Stephen Cone’s “The Wise Kids” centers on a group of teens in a Southern Baptist church as they grapple with their identities in the days leading to their first semester in college. Refreshingly devoid of clichés or stereotypes, Cone’s film is an uncommonly observant masterwork that includes some of the finest acting and writing in recent memory (co-stars Allison Torem and Tyler Ross are both featured in previous posts). In this exclusive, in-depth podcast, Cone discusses his film’s richly vivid characters, his key collaborators and his upcoming feature, “Black Box.”

Tyler Ross, Allison Torem and Molly Kunz star in Stephen Cone’s “The Wise Kids.” Courtesy of Stephen Cone.

The program was produced at Columbia College Chicago. Technical producer was David Pierczynski. An Indie Outlook production.

For tickets to “The Wise Kids,” click here. Cone will join members of the cast and crew at both screenings on October 26th, the 7:45pm screening on October 27th and the 5:15pm screening on October 28th.

Below are the trailers of Cone’s early picture, 2008’s “The Christians,” his first full-length feature, 2011’s “In Memoriam,” and, of course, “The Wise Kids.”