
City & State
Competing for the Chicago Award—a showcase of the year’s best stories and brightest talents from our own backyard.
All Jacked Up and Full of Worms
After a disturbed recluse scores hallucinogenic earthworms, he embarks on a psychedelic journey of self-discovery with a sex worker and a hotel maintenance man as his companions.
Art and Pep
A heartfelt tribute to activists Art Johnston and Pepe Peña, whose celebrated gay bar Sidetrack has fueled movements and created community on Chicago’s Halsted Street for decades.
The Big Payback
An inspiring look at rookie Alderman Robin Rue Simmons’ fight to redress the wrongs of “redlining” and the legacy of slavery through a groundbreaking reparations program in Evanston, Illinois.
A Compassionate Spy
The fascinating story of Manhattan Project scientist Theodore Hall, who passed crucial military secrets to Soviet intelligence in the hopes of saving the world.
Dirtbag [short film]
Harold is given a bag of dirt, and he needs to get rid of it immediately.
King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones
The thrilling life story of the legendary African American powerbroker, who built a multimillion-dollar empire running a racketeering syndicate on Chicago’s South Side in the 1930s and ’40s.
The Limits of Vision [short film]
A woman trapped in a deadly domestic universe who is suddenly sprung free when she comes into contact with the king of dust, Mucor.
Matriarch [short film]
Legacy, life, and elderly motherhood is celebrated from the perspective of the filmmaker’s grandmothers.
My Summer Vacation [short film]
An elementary school student, Cass, gives an unorthodox presentation on her summer vacation in Pompeii.
No Ordinary Campaign
In this inspiring story of love, hope, and activism, former Obama political director Brian Wallach, who was diagnosed with ALS at age 37, fights alongside his wife to find solutions for the debilitating disease.
Rounding
In this deftly directed psychological thriller, a promising young doctor loses his grasp on reality after developing an unhealthy obsession with a patient whose symptoms seem suspect.
Shorts 1: Dimensional (City and State)
These shorts reflect the makeup of Chicago in unique visual styles that together form a creative local landscape.
The Year Between
In her sharply comic feature debut, Chicago filmmaker Alex Heller plays an acerbic college student with bipolar disorder struggling to connect with her parents and make her way in the world.