Cinema Femme Magazine, presenter of Cinema Femme Short Film Festival announced the full lineup of films selected in its first in-person festival in a series of four short film programs offered on two-days at The Music Box Theater.
A full list of these newly announced films is below and available at Cinema Femme film festival page.
In-person tickets go on sale today on the Music Box website, and online tickets will be available to purchase on Monday, April 10, on their festival page, also streaming April 28-May 4.
Showcasing emerging female and non-binary filmmakers from Chicago and across the globe, Cinema Femme Short Film Festival is a one-of-a-kind competitive festival emphasizing the importance of supporting new talent by connecting them to seasoned industry members through the Breaking Down Walls mentorship program.
Now in its 5th edition, the festival welcomes twenty short films from around the world; these films run less than 30 minutes and will be presented at The Music Box Theater Sunday, April 30 and Wednesday, May 3, and online through its new partner Eventive on April 28-May 4.
The in-person festival includes an opening night VIP event on April 30 starting at 5:00pm, with filmmaker Q&As moderated by Rebecca Martin Fagerholm, Festival Director of Cinema Femme Short Film Fest and Managing Editor of Cinema Femme magazine.
Introducing audiences to the next generation of filmmakers. Featured short films include:
PAPER PLANES the Chicago Premiere about a woman and the AirBnB guest across the hall strike up a correspondence that becomes something more.
CAROLINE, a young woman’s audition for a major movie takes an unexpected turn
PIGEON, a short comedy starring Larisa Oleynick (10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU / 3rd ROCK FROM THE SUN), a woman dealing with the aftermath of a breakup during the holidays
PLUMA, in Barcelona, the Pluma family of Drag Queens and Kings strives to build a community based on freedom of expression, artistic endeavor and mutual support. Including narratives, documentaries, horror, and experimental works, the four short programs are curated selections of films from across Chicago and around the world.
REGENERATE OJAI, the Festival Spotlight, directed by Rebecca Tickell and Josh Tickell is the 30-minute-long documentary film which is narrated by Academy Award Winner Laura Dern, exposes shocking truths about pesticide exposure in Ojai, a small Southern California town located in the agricultural county of Ventura, California. Rebecca (Harrell) Tickell is the child star from the 1989 Christmas film PRANCER made by Chicago Director John Hancock. Josh and Rebecca Tickell are a multi-award-winning filmmaking couple who specialize in films with environmental themes including FUEL, THE BIG FIX, PUMP, THE EARTHING MOVIE and ON SACRED GROUND and the recent hit Netflix film, KISS THE GROUND (with Woody Harrelson).
Four of the twenty filmmakers will be awarded a six-month mentorship with a seasoned filmmaker. This year’s mentors are filmmaker Isabel Sandoval (LINGUA FRANCA), actress Melora Walters (MAGNOLIA, COLD MOUNTAIN, PEN15), TV/film editor Stephanie Filo (A Black Lady Sketch Show), and producer Julie Keck.
Cinema Femme is a community, a powerful one, composed of emerging filmmakers who gravitated towards our Cinema Femme magazine for inspiration since 2018. Festival and Magazine Founder, Rebecca Martin Fagerholm said, “As the community grew, I wanted to find a way to elevate the work of these emerging filmmakers while connecting them to these inspirational figures they were reading about; thus, born was the Cinema Femme Short Film Festival and the Breaking Down Walls Mentorship Program.”
Filmmakers are coming from all over the country to participate in the Q&As and to come to the VIP event at the Music Box Theatre.
The programming team includes Emily Robinson (EIGHTH GRADE, THE YEAR BETWEEN), Ashley Shelton (THE EVENING HOUR, GOOD LORD BIRD, WAR PONY) and RogerEbert.com film critic and Cinema Femme contributor Peyton Robinson.
“Being part of the selection process for Cinema Femme was a supreme privilege. There’s so much talent and so many strong voices. I’m thrilled for audiences to see the films selected, and I’m personally eager to see what the filmmakers make next,’ said Emily Robinson.
“I was truly amazed at the originality, talent, and artistry I was able to behold in all these films. It was inspiring to be able to view so many stunning films from female filmmakers,” said Ashley Shelton
“Screening the films for this year’s festival was such a privilege. It’s beyond exciting to see these filmmakers uplifted and to know that the empathy, power, and creativity laced in each narrative will be given a special moment to shine. Even within the immersive worlds of these films, as I found myself transported, the behind-the-scenes passion remained felt in every frame. From quirky comedies to meditative character studies and surrealist dramas, this roster of stories is just as diverse as their creators, and I’m thrilled for others to experience them on a big screen, ”said Peyton Robinson (film critic RogerEbert.com and Contributor for Cinema Femme).
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Music Box Theater
3733 N. Southport Ave
SHORTS PROGRAM 1: Let’s Chicago
5 PM VIP Event
7 PM + Q&A
Swimming Through, dir. Samantha Sanders
Three women forge a friendship by swimming through the winter in Lake Michigan as a way to cope with the pandemic. Director Samantha Sanders and subjects of the documentary will be in attendance.
Paper Planes, dirs. Alyssa Thordarson and `Michael Glover Smith
A woman with agoraphobia and the AirBnB guest across the hall strike up a correspondence that becomes something more for the holidays. Star/Co-Director Alyssa Thoradson, Co-Director Michael Glover Smith (Relative), and star Shaina Schrooten will be in attendance. Chicago premiere!
this is not the morning i thought i was going to have, dir. Margaret Kellas
Two estranged sisters reunite in a 2005 Honda Civic on a sweaty Chicago day. As the car comes to a boil so does their tolerance for one another. Director Margaret Kellas, and Sarah Ruggles (Paige), Jillian Warden (Lindsey), and Cara Ross (Assistant Camera, Production Sound) will be in attendance.
Dois Estágios (Two Stages of Blood), dir. Lua Borges
A documentary that explores the beginning and end of a bloodline. Starting in the urban environment of São Paulo city where the filmmaker was raised and ending on her family’s country farm where her grandparents spend their golden years, the film delves into the personal and shared history of a Brazilian family, and the explorations of a longing memory. Director Lua Borges and DP, John Jadkowski will be in attendance.
Caroline, dir. Juli Del Prete
A young woman’s audition for a major movie takes an unexpected turn. Director Juli Del Prete will be in attendance. Chicago premiere!
SHORTS PROGRAM 2: Before Midnight: Part One
9:30 PM + Q&A
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Program Description: This program is PART ONE of our Before Midnight program (AKA Midnight Program before Midnight). We’re excited about the trippy brilliance of these five filmmakers’ work that come from all over the country.
Dog Lady, dir. Jessica Liu -LA
An empty nester must learn to find herself when her beloved canine goes missing. Director Jessica Liu and Alfredo Plascencia (storyboarder and dog handler) will be in attendance. Chicago premiere!
Deer Girl, dir. Giovanna Molina – LA, NYC
A reclusive researcher attempts to film a deer decomposing in a forest, until a teen girl interferes. Director Giovanna Molina will be in attendance, Chicago premiere!
Albion Rose, dir. Tiffany Tenille – NJ, Chicago
Following the arrival of an unwanted guest, a tightly knit bond between two sisters is put to the test when their idyllic playdate takes a dark turn. Director Tiffany Tenille and crew will be in attendance. Chicago premiere!
Herly, dir. Rachel Rambaldi – LA
HERLY is a dark comedy/drama about siblings who experience the same childhood wounds and the very different life paths they choose. Chicago premiere!
Ages of Man, dir. Claire Leona Apps – LA
Are you sitting uncomfortably? An anthology fiction short where three men find themselves in vulnerable positions with three women. This comedic horror drops the audience in the middle of stories about invisible labor. Director Claire Leona Apps will be in attendance with producer: Martina Silcock. Chicago premiere!
SHORTS PROGRAM 3: Festival Director’s Cut: Breaking Down Walls
7 PM + Q&A
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Program Description: This program represents as a whole what Cinema Femme is about, elevating voices of female and non-binary filmmakers. All these films create a ripple in our industry just by what you see onscreen and who’s behind the camera.
Pigeon, dir. Kiki Allgeier – NYC
Pigeon is a dark comedy about Liz, a woman in her forties dealing with the aftermath of a breakup around the worst time of year to do such a thing: the holidays. After all, tis the season to experience depression. Juggling her emotionally-absent-but-trying father and her feelings, Liz is faced with the most unlikely mirror: a wounded Pigeon. The short stars Larisa Oleynik (Ten Things I Hate About You, The Secret World of Alex Mack). Chicago Premiere! Director Kiki Allgeier and writer Elizabeth Hamilton will be in attendance.
SULAM (ladder), dir. Noam Argov – NYC
When an immigrant teen in Central Florida must help her mother before a school exam, tensions of belonging in a new country bubble to the surface. Director Noam Argov will be in attendance. Chicago premiere!
Pluma, dir. Clelia Goodchild – Spain
In Barcelona, the Pluma family of Drag Queens and Kings strives to build a community based on freedom of expression, artistic endeavor, and mutual support. With the city as their stage, they share the essence of their duality, while navigating the challenges that life throws their way. Chicago premiere!
Forward Fast, dir. Lorraine Sovern – Florida
While embarking upon a process of archival and preservation, a filmmaker dives into a stark exploration of self as she discovers the seeds of patriarchy and misogyny already planted and steeping the imagery of her childhood films. Director Lorraine Sovern will be in attendance. Chicago premiere!
Julia, dir. Emma Duvall – Portland, OR
A young girl faces a test of friendship at an orphanage in 1970 South Korea | Based on a true story. Director Emma Duvall will be in attendance! Chicago premiere!
SHORTS PROGRAM 4: Before Midnight: Part Two
9:30 PM + Q&A
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Program Description: This program is PART TWO of our Before Midnight program (AKA Midnight Program before Midnight). All of these films surprise you and genre defy.
Spanko, dir. Melanie Zoey Weinstein – LA
When a misfit teacher explores her taboo fantasies, she’s inspired to start a self-acceptance revolution. Director Melanie Zoey Weinstein will be in attendance!
PANDA, dir. Sasha Briggs – UK
Chef Antonia’s estranged mother pays a surprise visit to her restaurant. Struggling with feelings of abandonment she seeks solace from her twin brother, who died 10 years ago. Cameo with Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso, Apple TV). Chicago Premiere!
The Mark, dir. Deborah Kampmeier – NYC
Gracelyn has trained herself in witchcraft ever since being taunted by a group of girls in middle school and excluded from their “coven.” Now in their twenties, one of those girls, Annie, brings her boyfriend by for a visit…carelessly unaware of Gracelyn’s new powers. Producer Annarosa Mudd (TAPE) and actress and co-producer Sophia Adler will be in attendance. World Premiere!
Helium, dir. Annika Chavez – LA
An absurdist examination of female friendship, Helium explores various dynamics of intimacy over the course of a double date à la maison. Though each is equipped with a romantic partner for the night, Claire and Reagan find themselves drawn more strongly to the comfort of their own friendship than to their dates, leading to a rather dissociative evening. Chicago premiere!
Babyface, dir. Sannah Kim – LA
Teenage sisters Eden and Lux navigate their competitive relationship over the course of a Halloween party filled with glitter, confrontation, and blackouts. Chicago premiere!
Ticketing
VIP Fest Pass (includes admission to reception before April 30 screening): $50
General Fest Pass: $35; April 30 Screening Pass: $18; May 4 Screening Pass: $18; Individual Tickets: $10 GA / $8 MBT Members
To purchase tickets at The Music Box
Online tickets will be available to purchase on Monday, April 10, 2023. Information can be found on the Cinema Femme film festival page
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