Chicago Filmmakers presents CHICAGO SEEN VOL 16, showcasing original and exhilarating cinematic art from the Chicago independent & DIY film communities.
Programmed under the supervision of Grace K. Schuler, former programming intern at Chicago Filmmakers, this initiative by Chicago Filmmakers gives the interns and volunteers an opportunity to fully program and screen work as a team.
Schuler, the lead programmer, describes the through-lines connecting this eclectic selection of films, “Underlying all of the work is a dichotomy between the desire for ‘complete control’ and the utter lack of autonomy we find in a systemic condition often lacking in value. Throughout most of the program, there are depictions of relationships of despair, misunderstanding, estrangement, and sometimes absurd miscommunication. Some of the work, however, reflects on this frayed reality in solitude, as we uniquely experience the same shared absurd world. Between these two extremes are works depicting a social and emotional purgatory. Despite the inclusion of a myriad of genres and cinematic forms, strong, individual and dynamic artistic visions are at the core of every film in the program. We’re presenting another edition of noteworthy shorts, celebrating what makes Chicago cinema distinctly profound and fiercely independent.”
Screening at the Chicago Filmmakers Firehouse Cinema (1326 W. Hollywood Avenue) on August 12th at 7PM Central, CHICAGO SEEN VOLUME 16 is the centerpiece of a special month of programming, focusing on the local community, including impressive new films by Jesse Rothenberg and Zo Zosak, Aidan Karstadt, Andrew Paul Davis, George Ellzey Jr., Jejoon Park, Josh Weissbach, Juli Del Prete, M. Woods, and Nick Shoenbrodt.
For more info and to purchase tickets visit here.
FULL PROGRAM:
HAVING A NICE DAY (Dir. Jesse Rothenberg & Zo Zosak) 2023
Becca and Tom’s nice day at the park is interrupted when a golf ball lands in their hummus. Mark emerges from the woods looking for his ball with his evil boss Jordan on his tail. Jordan insists Mark hit the ball out of the hummus but what no one knows is that Tom has hidden an engagement ring in the dip and will do anything to preserve his big day.
CAROLINE (Dir. Juli Del Prete) 2022
A young actress’s audition for a major movie takes an unexpected turn.
BOSOM (Dir. George Ellzey Jr.) 2023
When estranged sisters Jade & Amber attend their mother’s funeral, long-held resentments and painful secrets come out into the open.
AS ONE SOWS SO SHALL HE REAP (Dir. Jejoon Park) 2023
What happens when you plant meat in a pot?
TO ALL THOSE (Dir. Josh Weissbach) 2020
A city symphony in miniature, dedicated to anyone who has gotten lost in thought while stuck on the midwinter train. to all that unfolds in those private reveries.
EATEN (Dir. Andrew Paul Davis) 2023
Music Video for Andrew Paul Davis’ 2023 song, “Eaten.”
ONE NIGHT ON DOVER ST. (Dir. Aidan Karstadt) 2022
A young tenant must fend off his neat freak of a Neighbor.
MELENCOLIA 1: THE END OF THE ALPHABET (Dir. M. Woods) 2023
A sadness rolls over me as I gaze into the entrails of this pandora’s box and my shadow cranks a lost appendage for the sake of ontological tangents and bewitched spaces. I want you to witness The Hallucinatory Zone of Neo-Liberal death hounds and lost gazes that expand and contract time. I was nothing, so nothing was lost.
OOPS! I’VE BEEN DRIVEN MUNDANE (Dir. Nick Shoenbrodt) 2023
Morkie, an aging stop-motion animator, lives a passive, hermetic life in the isolated garage she rents from her botanist great-aunt Mildred. But her quiet routine is thrown into chaos when Mildred tasks her with caring for the surrealistic flora of her personal collection. As more and more of these plants are delivered, with increasingly elaborate instructions for care, this minor inconvenience becomes a constant regimen that devours Morkie’s waking life and drives her to the brink of madness.
As Chicago Filmmakers celebrates its 50th anniversary, they are committed to special programming that activates our community. Submissions to Chicago Seen are open year-round, free of charge, and give emerging filmmakers and curators a chance to showcase their talents. Click here to submit your work.
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