Playing With:
Music Video by Handsome Family - Octopus
Katie Kapuza / 4 min
Through hand-drawn animation and rotoscoping, the Handsome Family teaches us about that most misunderstood of sea creatures—the giant octopus.
An entertaining and enlightening selection of films from our favorite Canadian city, Winnipeg, and its amazing home-grown film co-op. (Although two of the films are actually from Montreal.)
Chicago Premiere
Bome Gnomeski
Music Video / Curtis L. Wiebe, Marlon Wiebe / Canada / 3 min.
A cautionary tale about a little tree who gets more than he bargained for when he leaves the forest for the mean streets of the big city.
USA Premiere
Mahsa: Cantata for a Forbidden Voice in Four Movements
Short Documentary / Kiarash Anvari / Canada, Iran / 16 min.
In a country where public performances by women are forbidden, the internationally acclaimed Iranian vocalist Mahsa Vahdat struggles to make her voice heard.
World Premiere
Polar Express
Music Video / Karen Asmundson, Gwen Trutnau / Canada / 5 min.
The carnival is back in town in this rockin', gender-bending music video about a young man's love affair with an amusement park ride.
Chicago Premiere
Seasick
Short Fiction / Eva Cvijanovic / Canada / 3 min.
Seasick is a animated, meditative exploration of one's love of the sea, set to a soundtrack of traditional Croatian music.
Empty
Short Documentary / Jackie Traverse / Canada / 5 min.
Set to music by Little Hawk, this animated and starkly honest story is a daughter’s tribute to her estranged mother.
Bazen en Helden - "Le Dernier Soir"
Music Video / Kayla Jeanson / Canada / 6 min.
A woman in a mask leads a group of children through an evening of fun and fantasy, crafting masks and projecting animated unicorns onto houses.
Goths! On the Bus!
Music Video / Karen & Jaimz Asmundson / Canada / 4 min.
The winner of our 2012 Best Music Video is back, as depressed as ever. Even goths have to buy their black lipstick somewhere!
Music Video by Soul Square - One Time
Julien Martorell, Quentin Garabedian / France / 3 min
Walter is a dedicated music collector who stays committed to his passion throughout his life, until he receives his reward.
A smorgasbord of offerings illustrating the diversity of nations, subjects, and styles we highlight at CIMMfest.
Chicago Premiere
Shooter Jennings' The Other Life
Short Fiction / Blake Judd / USA / 28 min.
Shooter Jennings says goodbye to his family and hits the road on a supernatural journey inspired by Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick, and his own past.
KnickaNack Dan
Music Video / Pedro Castro / USA / 4 min.
KnickaNack Dan was raised in the Tennessee trees by a man, a bear, and a pile of leaves. His tale just might astound you.
Kid Exodus - "Are We Apart"
Music Video / Viktor Enoksen / Norway / 4 min.
Kid Exodus escapes from a secret lab, and the authorities will do anything to get him back. When they finally corner him, things get messy.
Chicago Premiere
We Keep on Dancing
Short Fiction / Jessica Barclay Lawton / Australia / 9 min.
Two strangers meet through a haze of smoke from a broken-down Volkswagen Beetle in this sweet tale of love, loss and ... car trouble.
Chicago Premiere
My Black Box (Ma boîte noire)
Short Documentary / Nicolas-Alexandre Tremblay / Canada / 12 min.
At the age of four, rapper Dramatik was treated for aggression. The treatment left him with a stutter; freestyling provided him with a cure.
These New Puritans - V (Island Song)
Music Video / PICNIC / UK / 8 min.
A woman goes to the movies to lose herself and her mind in this animated video that These New Puritans describe as "the closest so far to band's vision."
Chicago Premiere
The Rhythm in Her Veins (El ritmo en sus venas)
Short Fiction / Juan Alberto Poveda Paredes / Spain / 13 min.
Irene and Rafa have a boring relationship full of lies, but an unexpected accident forces them to live together as they never have before.
A selection of films about the people who inspire us to create.
World Premiere
Stupify
Short Fiction / Paul Thomas / USA / 7 min.
When rapper Stupify steps into the studio to record his new album, his biggest challenge is unexpected—a very precise producer.
Loudboy - "Blue"
Music Video / Chiara Natalini / Italy / 4 min.
A young woman’s walk through the forest takes a turn for the weird in this video for NYC-based John “Loudboy” Andrews, longtime guitarist for Peter Murphy.
Chicago Premiere
Mr. Bellpond
Short Fiction / A. Todd Smith / USA / 20 min.
Consumed with guilt after his wife disappears, Mr. Bellpond goes into seclusion. Years later, an extortionist offers information of her whereabouts if Mr. Bellpond composes a new masterpiece.
Chicago Premiere
The Woman (La Donna)
Short Fiction / Nicolás Dolensky / Argentina / 15 min.
On a night that could be any night, anywhere, two men and a woman, plenty of alcohol, hot music, and sexual tension combine in unexpected ways.
World Premiere
A Hell of a Player! (Toca pra Diabo!)
Short Fiction/ Joao Helho / Brazil / 15 min.
After meeting a mysterious and talented stranger, guitar player Sig discovers that there are more things between hell and earth than a naive metalhead kid might suppose.
Valentimes - "Get Into My Convertible"
Music Video / Valentin Lozita / Argentina, Mexico / 7 min.
Valentin luxuriates in his new life as a rock legend, but things don’t always work out the way they do in music videos.
Chicago Premiere
The Voice Thief
Short Fiction / Adan Jodorowsky / France, USA / 22 min.
When an opera singer (Asia Argento) loses her voice, her husband embarks on an odyssey through Miami's dark underworld to recover it through supernatural means.
A selection of films about specific locations, even when that location is unclear.
World Premiere
Will Play for Beer
Short Documentary / Carrine Fisher / USA / 42 min.
Will Play for Beer documents the thriving independent music scene in Seattle, focusing on the cooperation between artists and their efforts to succeed in an ever-changing music industry.
Chicago Premiere
A Stroll Through the Park: An Asbury Symphony
Short Documentary / Sage Seb / USA / 19 min.
Cameras follow street artist Shepard Fairey through Asbury Park, NJ as he creates art for the All Tomorrow's Party music festival.
Steve Grand - "Back to California"
Music Video / Jason Knade / USA / 6 min.
The latest video from Steve Grand, Chicago’s gay country music sensation, explores the disillusionment of young adulthood and the intensity of adolescent friendship.
Lebanon Hanover - "Hall of Ice"
Diego Barrera / Chile, Colombia / 7 min.
Inexplicable rituals and ice-cold production highlight this video for British-German duo Lebanon Hanover.
Chicago premiere
Derby & Groma
Short Documentary / Kara Blake / Canada, Argentina / 17 min.
Kara Blake pieces together the story of a vaudeville couple in Jazz Age Buenos Aires using photographs found in the street, archival footage, performance, interviews, and animation.
Music Video by Ema Shah - Masheenee Alcketiara (مشيني عالختيارة )
Ema Shah / Kuwait, USA / 4 min
A young Kuwaiti woman ditches her veil and imagines a life where she can sing, dance, drive a car, and fly a plane, until the cops show up.
Music Video by Jon Langford - "Drone Operator" Hassan Amejal / USA / 6 min
Drone Operator celebrates our new low-risk stay-at home warrior class who rain down armageddon across the planet while never leaving the comfort of their office.
North American Premiere Short DocumentaryHidden Wounds Tomas Kaan / Netherlands, UK, Belgium, USA / 7 min
Pioneering Belgian rockers dEUS explore the horrors of post-traumatic stress disorder through the personal stories of twenty veterans of wars around the world.
