For the first time since 2019 #OTVTonight from Emmy and Webby-nominated non-profit streaming platform OTV – Open Television is returning in-person with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago for Fellowship.
#OTVTonight: A Return to Fellowship will serve as the world premiere of hand-picked short films created by 2021-2022 #OTVFellows . Past #OTVFellow members include Filmmaker Adhana Reid, Journalist Lena Elmeligy, and Multidisciplinary artist Maya Lori.
This year’s featured #OTVFellows include Shaan Dasani (he/they), Vee Hua (they/them), Maya Lori (she/her), LaTasha Mercer (she/her), and Marlo A. Viriña (he/they). These dynamic storytellers are recipients of OTV’s annual fellowship program, now in its fifth year, providing support, mentorship, and education to intersectional filmmakers from Chicago and beyond.
“Now more than ever, media and storytelling is needed to help cultivate a world that celebrates empathy and champions belonging,” says Elijah McKinnon, Co-Founder, Executive Director, OTV. “Storytelling creates a portal for fellowship — a space for shared ideas, values and cultures to be exchanged and examined. I’m so excited to bring our Chicago community together while celebrating the next generation of storytellers that are dreaming, creating and thriving on their own terms.”
#OTVTonight: A Return to Fellowship
Location: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (Edlis Neeson Theatre)
Date: May 16, 2023
Time: 6pm – 8pm CST
Shaan Dasani | he/they
Title | Format: AGENTS OF CHANGE: Project Polymer | Short film
Log Line: AGENTS OF CHANGE: Project Polymer is a spy-genre short film featuring transgender actors of color in one of the most popular cinema genres in the world.
Vee Hua 華婷婷 | they/them
Title | Format: Reckless Spirits | Short film
Log Line: Reckless Spirits is a hyperreal buddy comedy featuring two best friends—Yvette, a neurotic Korean-American therapist, and Syd, a gender-fluid Puerto Rican performance artist—who are led by a series of supernatural events into an uncanny new world of psychics, spirits, and a cult leader that’s threatening to tear their friendship apart.
M. Lorin | she/her
Title | Format: Chickweed Magik | Series
Log Line: An anthology triptych of urban fantasy tales centering Black teen girls in Chicago, whose encounters with temptation and danger challenge their beliefs – and existence, altogether.
LaTasha Mercer | she/her
Title | Format: JustLaTasha’s Inner Actions | Series
Log Line: Latasha applies a Black cultural observation through a Bi Black woman’s lens to explore dating, sexuality, queerness and pop culture in this short form, witty sketch series.
Marlo Abril- Viriña | he/they
Title | Format: ManicMan! | Short
Log Line: In coping with bipolar disorder, Malcolm crafts the newest comic book superhero “ManicMan!” with the help of his small-town friends.
#OTVTonight: A Return to Fellowship will feature exciting creator interviews, tunes from DJ Shaun J. Wright, a return of fellowship and much more — all hosted by OTVs co-founder Elijah McKinnon and will feature a mix of surprises.
Tickets are available Monday, April 3rd by visiting here.
This year the show will not stream but key interview segments will be available on-demand via the OTV App for audience viewers after the initial premiere. Some OTV Tonight past guests include Ahya Simone (Femme Queen Chronicles, Adult Swim’s OPUS), Ricardo Gamboa (Brujos, Showtime’s The Chi), Sam Bailey (Brown Girls, Netflix’s Dear White People), and Zachary Drucker (Southern for Pussy, HBO’s The Lady and the Dale) with over 25,000 unique views of the live show.
Viewers can watch previous #OTVTonights for free here or via the OTV app available on iOS, Apple TV, Roku, FireTV or Android devices.
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