Congratulations go out to Chicago actor Ashlyn Lozano, who won Best Actress for her performance in the short film Tame at the 2026 Best of the Midwest Awards.
Presented July 26 at CineCity Studios as part of the Midwest Film Festival, the award recognized Lozano’s portrayal of Marlene, an overworked waitress whose already exhausting shift takes a disturbing turn after two very different customers enter a 24-hour Chicago diner.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been more surprised in my life,” Lozano said while accepting the award. “Every single performance by an actor is a collaborative effort. It is a sum of many, many parts, so I really share this with every single person who worked on Tame long before I got there and long after I wrapped.” Watch ther acceptance below:
Written and directed by Chicago filmmaker Will Schneider, Tame unfolds over 12 minutes of real time during a quiet night at the historic Fullerton Restaurant in Bucktown.
The film follows Marlene near the end of a grueling double shift as she is forced to serve an especially difficult customer—and potentially save his life. As the encounter escalates, she must confront how far her moral boundaries can be pushed and how far she is willing to push back.
The film explores the worker-customer relationship, misogyny, wealth disparity, selective morality and toxic masculinity while leaving its final moral judgment in the hands of the audience. Watch the teaser below:
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“This story started with one simple question: What would it take to drive a morally good person to potentially do something immoral?” Schneider said in his director’s statement. “The films I love let viewers make their own decisions about what they watched instead of telling them what to think. I often think ambiguity is a lot more engaging than clarity.”
Lozano leads a cast that also includes Tyler Riggin as Shane, Michael Kevin Martin as Gene, Chandra Michaels as Linda and Mary Anisi as Patty.
The film was photographed by Anh Vo, with production design by Corrine Ashley, editing by Alex Janiuk, color and DCP by Ryan Stemple and Journeywork Entertainment, and sound by John Wong and Periscope. Cassie Llanas served as first assistant director.
Produced in collaboration with Realm Films, Tame received an Individual Artists Program grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
The project has spent the past year traveling the festival circuit, screening at the Chicago Underground Film Festival, Charlotte Film Festival, Nightmares Film Festival, HollyShorts’ monthly screening series, Beyond Fest Chicago, Panic Fest, Dances With Films and the Midwest Film Festival.
It was also nominated for Best Screenplay at Nightmares Film Festival and reached the quarterfinals of Square Peg Social, the film initiative associated with Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen.
Schneider, who was born and raised in Chicago, recently received his MFA in Film Directing from DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts. His films often center on uncomfortable interpersonal dynamics, moral ambiguity and characters nearing their breaking points.
His previous work has screened at festivals including LA Shorts International Film Festival, Beyond Fest, Dances With Films, Chicago Underground Film Festival and FilmQuest. Schneider was also a quarterfinalist for the 2023 Academy Nicholl Fellowships.
“Tame is the film that I have always wanted to make,” Schneider said. “Every part of making this film was a challenge, from raising the funding to getting the location, finding the right lead actress and nailing the edit. But we pulled it off, and I believe our blood, sweat and tears are evident in every frame.”
Tame is expected to make its online premiere this fall.
