Chicago Onscreen 2024
Chicago Onscreen 2024 features a selection of 16 films centering around the ways Chicago’s human and non-human residents make their lives in the city. Drawing parallels between Chicago citizens and the wildlife of the city, Chicago Onscreen 2024 explores the dual nature of Chicago as urban metropolis and urban wilderness.
2024 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
a film called black: King's Speech
‘a film called black’ is an evolving film. Each screening presents different elements to an ongoing conversation. Blackness. ‘King’s Speech’ is a short film that resides within the entirety of ‘a film called black.’ ‘King’s Speech’ centers around the conversation of Blackness - What is Blackness? Who gets to define it? Additionally asking Black father’s what it means to be a king? All while telling the parallel story of Chicago artist Cam Be & Neak’s creation of the song and visual story of ‘King’s Speech.’
Directed by Cam Be, Produced by Cam Be and Neak
Between Clouds and Glass
A look at the monumental problem of bird collisions in Chicago, the deadliest city for birds, just ahead of Houston and Dallas. According to scientists, what happens in Chicago can affect bird populations across North America. As many as one billion birds die each year in the United States due to building collisions, but there are people who care and work hard to change this.
Directed by Mykhailo Bogdanov
Cat City
Cat City (2023) is a documentary chronicling Chicago’s love/hate relationship with feral cats. There are now thousands of cat colonies in Chicago, many with only a single cat, but some with more than 40. These colonies are fed by volunteer caretakers that report on their well-being yearly. Many ferals succumb to the elements, are hit by cars, or catch diseases, but the most hardy, tough and careful survive many seasons and become legends in their neighborhoods. Through an ensemble story and cinematic style, Cat City presents a holistic portrait of the many feral cat issues and interventions, to inform better outcomes for all people and animals.
Directed by Ben Kolak, Produced by Kyra Mitchell
I Said, No
Told as a story through dance, a young woman enjoying a night out relies on her group of friends to help teach an interested man to respect her “no.”
Directed by Gabriella Wiltz
Produced by Talia Koylass, Angela Townsend, and Luzzo
Kedai Tapao: Love and a Malaysian Takeout Shop
Mike and Jenn started Kedai Tapao in 2020 with the goal of bringing their taste of Malaysian food to Chicago. Within a few short months they succeeded in spades. Now most of their pop-ups sell out within hours. For this documentary we followed Mike and Jenn over the course of 3 days leading up to their first plated dinner pop-up service at Superkhana. The film explores the difficulties of opening and starting a pop-up business against the backdrop of a beautiful love story.
Directed by Ian Szetho
Produced by Eunice Wangadi and Matt Hebron
Last Date
After her boyfriend proposes, a young woman sets out to take care of one teeny weeny thing - divorcing her estranged husband.
Directed by Andrea Zile Bish
Produced by Robert Paine Beschel Jr.
No Matter How Much
A lost soul desperately clings to her romanticized fantasy of happiness and empowerment, only to find it all rapidly dissolving into the murky void of reality.
Directed and Dorian Weinzimmer
Produced by Dorian Weinzimmer and Johnny Iguana
No Permit Necessary
"No Permit Necessary" is the story of Washington Square Park, AKA Bughouse Square. In the middle of Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood sits the unassuming Washington Square Park. It’s used by the neighborhood as a dog park, a place to enjoy lunch, or just somewhere to cut through. In its almost 200-year history, the small park has played an important role in Chicago’s rich history.
Director of Photography, Duncan Hoag
Produced by Marina Hart Donahue, Lexie Garrett, Taylor Evans Ghosal, and Keagan Hynes
Sankofa Chicago: The Untold
Sankofa Chicago: The Untold is a powerful documentary that is the second part of a three-part series exposing the inadequacies of American History curriculums in Chicago Public Schools, a problem across the US. It highlights the overlooked contributions of Black and Brown people in American history. It explores methods of enhancing the current History and Social Science curriculum and alternative avenues for incorporating this vital history into other academic disciplines. The film stresses the significance of accurate representation and continuous learning, inspiring viewers to question conventional narratives and seek a more comprehensive understanding of American history.
Directed by Vanessa Page Wright
Produced by James Parrish Smith
The Spaghetti Man
A recently divorced mother and her son move into a new apartment and find a spaghetti man already living there.
Directed by Jerry S. Gonzalez
Produced by Mendy Zimmerman and Trisha Noon
This Train Is Invisible Until it Crashes
An animation inspired by train delay messages and their poetic potential. An examination of all the things that can go wrong: on the train, in the urban environment, and in our lives. All drawings done while riding the Chicago metro system.
Directed by Oona Taper
Treausure Haunt
How far would you go for a hug? — A young man uses a magic potion to turn himself into a ghost, now, with his new-found abilities he flies miles away to the house of a person he loves. Longing for a hug, he possesses a gift. Sadly, when the morning comes, he must return home, faraway from his person.
Directed and Produced by Carlos Lerna
Composer, Holden Reid Magee
Twenty Five
"TwentyFive", tells the story of Eric Williams, a descendent of the Great Migration, who fell in love with Chicago house music and became a street peddler to support his passion. Through a combination of interviews, animation, and archival footage the film explores how Eric's love for house music led him on a journey to build a thriving business that has connected communities and cultures across Chicago.
Directed by Lonnie Edwards
Produced by Amir George & Sonya Jackson
"Viewfinder Falling For You"
Are you able to find beauty in the places, people, and things you pass day after day? "Viewfinder Falling for You" (Part 1) is my "love letter" to living in Chicago, IL. I loved getting to know the neighborhoods through the eye of the camera.
Directed and Produced by Grant I. Worden
Composer, Jonathan Zuniga