Chicago’s own award-winning indie Pools is coming home. Written and directed by Chicago native Sam Hayes, the coming-of-age drama screens at the Music Box Theatre on August 22, 2025, followed by a live Q&A with the filmmakers.
Filmed entirely in the Chicago area—primarily in Lake Forest—Pools follows Kennedy (Odessa A’zion), a restless college student teetering on expulsion, who escapes into a late-night spree of pool-hopping through the manicured estates of her town. Her rebellion masks a deeper search for meaning after her father’s death, giving the film both emotional resonance and a vibrant, youthful energy.
Since its world premiere at SXSW Sydney, where it won the Audience Award, Pools has sold out its North American debut at TIFF’s Next Wave and emerged as one of the year’s indie standouts. It recently took home the Grand Prize for Best Comedy Feature Film at Rhode Island Film Festival.
The Pools cast continues to make enormous strides, and it’s no surprise. Hometown hero Michael Vlamis recently wrapped filming The Odyssey for Christopher Nolan, while Mason Gooding is leading the new Scream franchise and Odessa A’zion co-stars with Timothée Chalamet in A24’s biggest movie to date, Marty Supreme, coming this Christmas. The film also stars Ariel Winter and Tyler Alvarez.
Behind the camera, Chicago-based producers Seth Savoy and Mike D. Ware were key creative partners in bringing Hayes’s vision to life. Savoy is known for championing independent film in the city, including his 2020 directorial debut Echo Boomers, starring Michael Shannon, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Alex Pettyfer.
With an original score by Grammy-nominated Cody Fry and music supervision by Peymon Maskan (The Fallout, Monkey Man), Pools blends style, sound, and substance. Its hometown debut is both a screening and a celebration of Chicago’s independent filmmaking spirit.
Tickets & Info: Music Box Theatre – Pools
August 22 – 28, 2025
The Music Box
3733 N Southport Ave
Chicago
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