GROUP 312 ANNUAL REPORT 2023: A Review by Anna Castagnaro
From GROUP 312 ANNUAL REPORT 2023 trailer.
Over the past year, not-for-profit artists’ collective Group 312 Films has gathered their best shorts for their annual report at Chicago Filmmakers. Tune in to see the wacky, poetic, and experimental featured works by Kevin B. Chatham, Johnny Lange, Kelly McGowan, Richard Syska, David Purdie, Brian Klein, and Kevin Ortinau.
The GROUP 312 ANNUAL REPORT 2023 screening is hosted at our Chicago Filmmakers Firehouse Cinema.
Saturday, August 26, at 7:00 PM CST.
1326 W Hollywood Ave, Chicago
Trailer for GROUP 312 ANNUAL REPORT 2023.
From Richard Syska’s satirical tone and archival experimentation to Kelly McGowan’s colorful stop-motion puppetry, prepare to be amazed by the inventive storytelling of each director and their distinctive voice. Every director has approached their short from a variety of skill levels and expertise, all while collaborating with one another to perfect their craft.
Some of the most notable films of this year’s report were recorded on a mobile phone, and my personal favorite all-encompassing aspect of the cohort was each director’s attention to detail in sound design. Certain stories have reverberating narration that phase out into a three dimensional soundscape, while others have a multi-functional score (from electronic to orchestral) that could break the fourth wall.
Especially given that these films were all crafted on a monthly timeline under a given theme, I could not be more impressed with the economic yet vibrant use of the visual medium.
Visit Chicago Filmmakers, Saturday August 26th at 7PM, to catch the screening of GROUP 312 ANNUAL REPORT 2023.
For tickets: www.chicagofilmmakers.org/upcoming-screenings-and-events
A review by Anna Castagnaro
Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM
Chicago Filmmakers (1326 W. Hollywood Ave)
Vagabond Beaumont | 2026 | 117 min | Digital Projection
Director Vagabond Beaumont and Co-Executive Producer Floyd Webb in Person!
Legally Drugged is the story of a Brooklyn boy who becomes a successful real estate investor but not without some major obstacles along the way. Richard Schneeberg tells his own harrowing yet ultimately triumphant true story. When Schneeberg is hospitalized for depression/insomnia and malaise, he is given antidepressants, which cause him to hallucinate, become manic, and even become suicidal.
He loses his marriage and custody of his child. A former teacher, his hospitalizations also left him jobless and homeless. But through shrewd business investments he becomes a multimillionaire, owning some of the most desirable real estate in the country. It’s a story of one man’s journey “from the nuthouse to the penthouse.”
An outspoken advocate of non-drug therapies for the mentally ill, Schneeberg makes a case that antidepressant medications are overused and points out that they can sometimes cause more problems than they solve.