Chicagoland

A multitude of artistic approaches give voice to the vibrant cinematic cultures of the Chicagoland area, celebrating the diversity of experience found in our city.

Please note: Films in this program contain themes or language  that may not be suitable for all ages.

Split Ends

Cookie Estés | Chicago | Age 22

Anxious over her abuela’s progressing dementia, Isa impulsively gets a haircut. Immediate regret, combined with pressure she feels from Latinx beauty standards, begins to suffocate her.

Blue

Adelaide Wilson, Lua Borges | Chicago | Age 19, 22

Shifting between digital and 8mm photography, this whimsical music video follows a carefree woman who starts to become uneasy upon realizing she is being followed by the color blue.

Let Us Breathe

Katie Jahns, Liz Frohwein, Ali Wilt, Alisa Gao | Evanston | Age 22

Following two student activists as they fight to prevent a serial polluter from entering their neighborhood on the southeast side of Chicago, Let Us Breathe highlights the personal toll of environmental damage.

Ping.Pong.

Michael Merlino | Chicago | Age 19

Ping pong is this girl’s entire world. But away from home and on her own in college, she makes the bold move to share her family tradition with a special new someone.

adulting?

Ariana Winters | Chicago | Age 18

Full of visual rhymes and clever juxtapositions, this wryly humorous video diary explores the creeping anxieties that set in during early adulthood.

Corazòn Del Niño (Child’s Heart)

Salvador Salazar | Chicago | Age 21

Six-year-old Martín yearns for a soccer ball that he can’t afford. His sister Xochitl offers the next best thing from the neighborhood as summertime mischief ensues.

Horse Girl

Lua Borges | Chicago | Age 22

In this eloquently photographed depiction of a Midwestern farm, a rupture between parents forces Evangeline to see her life in the vast countryside, and her horse, in a new light.

Proof of Residency

Spencer Sabath | Chicago | Age 17

Memories of fonder times are recounted through the examination of ten items salvaged from a house fire, in this poetic exploration of objects and their importance within personal histories.

God Willing

Vincent DiFrancesco | Chicago/Arizona/Mexico | Age 22

This sensitive documentary listens to migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border as they recount personal stories of fleeing violence, waiting for legal entry, and hoping for asylum.

Soul Provider

Adora Midderhoff, Jessica Sarmina, Tatiana Mays, Nariah Walker | Chicago | Age 16-19

Stigmas and stereotypes surrounding single parenting are shattered through a collection of personal stories attesting to single mothers’ strength, resourcefulness, and love.

Emergence

Rey Tang | Evanston | Age 21

When a socially anxious athlete is asked out by a teammate at college lacrosse tryouts, they strike an unlikely relationship and emerge together into newfound queer identities.