U.S.

Pen, Pencil, Pixel: Animation

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Across these eleven shorts, you'll find no single genre, theme, or medium, but you will find fantastical worlds, disarming emotional honesty, and vibrant displays of creativity. Whether drawn by hand, sculpted with clay, or animated digitally, these inventive shorts are sure to entertain and inspire.

Odd, Very Odd

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Expect the unexpected in these colorful, wildly offbeat shorts. In this utterly unique showcase, a cast of eccentric characters (both on camera and behind it) will dash every expectation of tone, performance, and good taste-- and you'll be all the better for it.

Time and Texture: Experimental

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Some rules are made to be broken. Singular and diverse experiences of identity, sensation, isolation, and time are translated into stunning images and sound. The resulting seven films play like something of a dream, capturing the feeling of being alive as only cinema can.

City, Living: Chicago Stories

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Chicago-made short films create a patchwork of perspectives on life in the city.Featuring a profile of a busker (Red Line Lounge), an exploration of the city’s bricks (Sacred Brick Technology), a comedy about a souvenir salesman (BJs Mobile Gift Shop), a document of the reversal of the Chicago River (The Reversal), an examination of gun violence (4 Corners), a rumination on family and place (Under the Skyway), and a comedy about a dog sitter (Close Ties to Home Country).[…]

Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands

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Best known for her 1939 concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, internationally celebrated singer Marian Anderson’s career was propelled by her immense talent, but also steered by limits imposed by racism and segregation. Director Rita Coburn adapts archival recordings of interviews and performances alongside intimate correspondence, brought to life by actors Regina Taylor and Harry Lennix, to center Anderson’s own voice. Balancing public triumphs with personal struggles, this powerful documentary tells the story of a pioneering artist and civil rights activist in her own words.[…]

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