Category: Uncategorized

HIGHLIGHTS: August 2024 CHICAGO Festival

Showcase of the best FILMS in the world today.

Audience Award Winners:
Best Feature Film: IMMERSION
Best Short Film: NOVA

Best Direction: MOISTURE
Best Performances: FEM/DOM – Empowered
Best Student Film: CHHAVA
Best Story: HOME
Best Experimental Film: TORII

See info for each film:

NOVA, 7min., USA
Directed by Noah Guardado
In the year 2468, Jackson, a seasoned bounty hunter, finds himself in dire straits when his partner mysteriously vanishes. Struggling with financial difficulties, Jackson reluctantly accepts a risky job offer to track down an elusive criminal. Set in a futuristic world with elements of sci-fi and cyberpunk, NOVA explores themes of identity and betrayal amidst a backdrop of advanced technology and quirky characters.

https://www.instagram.com/nova_themovie/

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

IMMERSION, 93min., USA
Directed by William R.A. Rush
A woman in a new home must protect her family while contending with the unexpected inhabitants of her house.

http://www.ogcinpro.com/https://www.instagram.com/originalcinematic

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

MOISTURE, 25min., Brazil
Directed by Duda Gorter
Brazil: In a gray city in the near future, religious sects and rats live on the prowl. It rains non-stop.

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

FEM/DOM – Empowered, 15min., USA
Directed by Mitchell Suikess
Violet is a resourceful, independent, and modern woman. By day, she works as a soft-spoken assistant for an abusive, and misogynistic boss, Mr. Mann. By night, Violet swaps her powerlessness for power, when she moonlights as a dominatrix in the Los Angeles underground. The almost schizophrenic nature of Violet’s life puts her on the path to facing her demons, and ultimately choosing the type woman she wants to be.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/FemDomFilm
https://instagram.com/donnaa_victorya

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

CHHAVA, 39min., India
Directed by Anurag Srijit, Arman Shaikh
Set in the storied Apshinge Military Village in Maharashtra, ‘Chhava’ offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of families bound by centuries of military service, from the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to today. Crafted with care by first-time student filmmakers, the documentary weaves together personal sacrifices and enduring bravery, revealing the profound human spirit at the village’s heart.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32117939/
https://instagram.com/chhava.official

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

HOME, 16min., USA
Directed by Al Chang
Seo-won navigates a fragmented reality filled with emotional encounters and haunting memories, seeking solace and clarity in her search for home.

https://www.instagram.com/4lcfilm

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

TORII, 13min., Germany
Directed by Martin Gerigk
Torii ?? is a short film in the form of an audiovisual composition about the traditional Shinto gates of the same name in Japan. The film uses these gates which symbolically mark the transition from the mundane to the sacred as representatives of a personal synaesthetic and spiritual journey through five levels of consciousness, traveling from existentialism to metaphysics, abstraction, and the Shinto deities called Kami, culminating in a final transition that weaves together these diverse philosophical threads.

https://www.martin-gerigk.de/
https://www.facebook.com/martin.gerigk.79/

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

Chicago Festival Best Scene: THE PEBBLE CHAMPION, by Alan David Pritchard

When a grieving teenage boy, sent to live with the father he’s never met, is haunted by memories and wrestling with his identity, it takes the magic of pebbles on water and the transformative power of kind friends to help him accept his past and welcome his future.

http://www.alandavidpritchard.com/
https://www.facebook.com/PoetryByAlanDavidPritchard/

CAST LIST:

Narrator: Elizabeth Rose Morriss
Aunt Wendy: Hannah Ehman
Chris: Geoff Mays

HIGHLIGHTS: July 2024 CHICAGO Under 5 Minute Festival

Showcase of the best FILMS in the world today.

Audience Award Winners:
Best Short Film: PIPPY AND THE TYPIST
Best 1 Minute Film: WEEKEND RELEASE
Best Direction: THE NEW BEGINNING
Best Story: UP AT NIGHT
Best Performances: A PICCOLI PASSI
Best Student Film: NOUMENA
Best Animation: TURNING A NEW LEAF
Best Experimental Film: THE LAND OF MEMORIES
Best Fantasy Film: EMOTIONAL STORAGE FULL

See info for each film:

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

UP AT NIGHT, 2min., Switzerland
Directed by Hassan Camara
http://ashesproductions.com/
https://facebook.com/hassancamara
https://instagram.com/hassancamaraa

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

A PICCOLI PASSI, 5min., Italy
Directed by Francesco La Barbera
Antonio, a 12-year-old boy, defends a man from the abuses of his own friends. Following this event, the boy’s present and future will be profoundly changed, together with that of those around him.

https://www.instagram.com/_fralab24_/

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

WEEKEND RELEASE, 1min., UK
Directed by Susanda Wolf
A woman waits for her son to pick her up from the police station, but he isn’t coming.

http://palmanda.com/

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

TURNING A NEW LEAF, 2min,. USA
Directed by Isabelle Alison Hibbard
Hazel and Willow, two teenage theater club members, exit from backstage after a rehearsal. Willow is upset by her role, and Hazel argues that no, being a tree and chorus member is the best. Hazel breaks into song, and the girls enter a magical abstract world filled with helpful leaf friends. The girls sing and dance through different scenes, and eventually, Willow comes to the realization that it’s not about being in the spotlight, it’s about being part of a team creating a show together. They exit the magical leaf land and finish the song, ready to take on any role.

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

THE NEW BEGINNING, 2min,. France
Directed by Alexandre Diennet
In a world in decline, Gareth questions his own survival. Along the way, he meets Jim, perhaps the last ray of hope capable of persuading him to remain among the living.

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

NOUMENA, 2min., USA
Directed by Coby Resnick, Yanni Economos
“Noumena” is an experimental film that explores the Kantian principles of reality. It follows a student studying at a library late at night as she tries to understand concept of metaphysics. As she becomes deeper in thought, her environment fantasically begins to shift and transform around her as the line between reality and perception blurs.

https://cobyresnick.com/
https://www.instagram.com/coby_resnick/

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

PIPPY AND THE TYPIST, 5min., USA
Directed by Rachel Nemez
Our protagonist, Pippy, discovers that a magical typewriter controls the events happening down below.

https://rachelnemez.com/
https://www.instagram.com/rachelnemez/

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

THE LAND OF MEMORIES, 3min., Italy
Directed by Rocco Losasso
memories, happy or sad are always memories.
a past time that can no longer return

https://www.instagram.com/rocco___losasso

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

EMOTIONAL STORAGE FULL, 5min., Canada
Directed by AJ Lutsky
What if memories were stored in your head like photos on your phone? How would you know which ones to delete to make room for more…

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

HIGHLIGHTS: June 2024 CHICAGO Film Festival

Showcase of the best FILMS in the world today.

Audience Award Winners:
Best Feature Film: THE BRIDGE
Best Short Film: TROUBLE
Best Direction: GO IN PEACE
Best Story: THE NEED
Best Micro-Short: BUTTERFLY BUSINESS
Best Student Film: THE CLOFFICE
Best Sound & Music: TURNING A NEW LEAF
Best Documentary: YOUR EVERYDAY HEROES OF COSTA RICA
Best Animation: ALLURE
Best Experimental: a nightpiece for those who feel or felt like they were falling

See info for each film:

THE BRIDGE, 85min., USA
Directed by Evan Jackson Leong
Fifty years ago, our country grappled with widespread discrimination. In Los Angeles, neighborhood leaders challenged these barriers by establishing a community-focused bank, aiming to deliver the American dream to all. The East West Bank Foundation commissioned director Evan Leong to create The Bridge, which explores the struggles, perseverance, and successes of this remarkable journey.

http://www.thebridge-film.com/

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

ALLURE, 4min., USA
Directed by Jerry van de Beek, Betsy De Fries
A junior astronaut fulfills a dream of going to the moon. Once there, exhilaration gives way to reality. But what has been left behind? Created in a colorful, prismatic, 2D graphic style with a haunting soundtrack that echoes with loneliness.

https://www.littlefluffyclouds.com/
https://www.facebook.com/littlefluffycloudsanimation
https://www.instagram.com/little_fluffy_clouds

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

TROUBLE, 17min., Ireland
Directed by Jonathan Shaw
A tense civil war drama capturing the fear and resolve of the Irish people for independence.

https://www.instagram.com/Troubleshortfilm

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

THE CLOFFICE, 8min., USA
Directed by Colton Cates McPherson
Based on actual events, Todd Friendly narrowly escapes a round of layoffs at Sumy Entertainment Corp. by hiding in a janitor’s closet. If you can’t be found, you can’t be fired!

https://www.facebook.com/colton.catesmcpherson/

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

GO IN PEACE, 15min., France
Directed by Jean Gaspa
Evens, a young man as imperfect as he is endearing, accompanies his mother to the Haitian consulate in Paris. Feeling uneasy, he tries as best he can to shorten their visit while his mother works behind his back.

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

TURNING A NEW LEAF, 2min., USA
Directed by Isabelle Alison Hibbard
Hazel and Willow, two teenage theater club members, exit from backstage after a rehearsal. Willow is upset by her role, and Hazel argues that no, being a tree and chorus member is the best. Hazel breaks into song, and the girls enter a magical abstract world filled with helpful leaf friends. The girls sing and dance through different scenes, and eventually, Willow comes to the realization that it’s not about being in the spotlight, it’s about being part of a team creating a show together. They exit the magical leaf land and finish the song, ready to take on any role.

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

BUTTERFLY BUSINESS, 2min., USA
Directed by Amanda Elizabeth Mai
An overworked office worker has the quirk of turning into a butterfly under stress. We watch him struggle to keep his insect side a secret as the pressure of his office life becomes so intense he can’t take it anymore.

https://amanda88mai88.wixsite.com/amanda-mai

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

THE NEED, 15min., USA
Directed by Michael Rognlie, EE Tallent
David Alan Shepherd is constantly tormented by the ghosts of his own making, and the need to keep making them.

https://www.the-need-movie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/onthefenceproductions/

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

YOUR EVERYDAY HEROES OF COSTA RICA, 25min., USA
Directed by Hernán Salcedo
Your Everyday Heroes traveled to Costa Rica and searched for inspirational everyday people who are changing the world. Jeremy, Tracey, Vernon and Che are clearly all examples of what it takes to be a Hero, and we’re proud to share their stories with you.

http://www.youreverydayheroes.com/
https://www.facebook.com/youreverydayheroes
https://twitter.com/YEDHeroes
https://www.instagram.com/youreverydayheroes/

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.

a nightpiece for those who feel or felt like they were falling, 3min., Netherlands
Directed by Tessa Langeveld
“In this animated short, three iterations of the fall of an undefined object (that might resemble a cloth, or a piece of paper) unfold to an increasingly slowed version of Chopin’s 15th Nocturne.”

https://www.instagram.com/tessalangeveld/

Watch NOW – the audience feedback video.