CHICAGO SEEN, VOLUME 15
CHICAGO SEEN, VOLUME 15
On December 17th, 2022, Chicago Filmmakers presented an eclectic night of local film. Grace K. Schuler, our programming intern, worked with Jackie Robbins, our programming director, to curate an extraordinary batch of films, culminating in a packed-house event. In the galleries below, check out the series of Artist Talks and Trailers made especially for the screening!
Chicago Seen is a screening series celebrating the diverse talent of Chicago’s film community. Formerly known as the "Spirit of Chicago,” our mission for this program remains the same: to celebrate and increase visibility for locally made films and Chicago filmmakers.
PROGRAM NOTES:
BORN & RAISED, EPISODE 1 (Dir. Christian Mejia) 2022
Set in the gentrifying neighborhood of Logan Square, Chicago, BORN & RAISED is a bilingual anthology series that offers intimate portraits of a community exploring diverse expressions of Latinidad, while resisting displacement. (Running Time: 11 mins)
DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT (Dir. Melissa Kong) 2021
After her father's death, a young woman's obsessive-compulsive disorder spirals out of control. She enters an intensive therapy program, where she must learn to deal with his death and OCD before it takes over her life. (Running Time: 12 mins)
MASTERPIECES (Dir. Ronan Morrissey & Bridget Johnson) 2022
A dedicated team of roofers, consisting of three men and three women, fight to keep the historic yet rare art of slate roofing alive, while also navigating the challenges of the trade through intense labor, safety, and sexism. (Running Time: 9 mins)
ESSENTIALS (Dir. Allison Torem) 2021
Shocked and fatigued by the screeching halt of daily life in early quarantine 2020, Vivian muscles her way home with too many groceries until she is interrupted by a senior citizen who makes a corny joke on his nightly walk. This bittersweet, dramedic story is a celebration of “small talk” in a time of isolation. (Running Time: 16 mins)
VEGEVERSARY (Dir. Sarah Schmidt) 2022
A rabbit's friends take her on a meat-bender to celebrate her vegan-anniversary. They hitch a ride to town and indulge in all kinds of foods she avoids all year long. The evening has its ups and downs. Her friends reward her with a soy-based breakfast in the morning. (Running Time: 4 Mins.)
CHANGE THE NAME (Dir. Cai Thomas) 2021
An intimate portrayal of Black youth organizing on the west side of Chicago, CHANGE THE NAME follows a group of 5th graders from Village Leadership Academy as they embark on a campaign to rename Stephen A. Douglas Park after freedom fighters Anna Murray and Frederick Douglass. Over the course of the three-year grassroots campaign the students tackle bureaucratic Chicago Park District systems, underestimations of their capacity to make real change as well as a pandemic and global uprising. (Running Time: 20 Mins.)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: Approx. 72 Mins
A Selection from “Born & Raised”
A Selection from “Change the Name”
Chicago Seen, Vol. 15 Official Trailer
“Vegeversary” Q&A with Sarah Mae Schmidt
“Don’t Worry About It” Q&A with Melissa Kong
“Essentials” Q&A with Allison Torem
“Masterpieces” Q&A with Bridget Johnson and Ronan Morrissey
A Selection from “Don’t Worry About It”
A Selection from “Vegeversary”
A Selection from “Essentials”
A Selection from “Masterpieces”
