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.
Four films about music and memories passing from parent to child.
USA Premiere
Koentopp
Short Documentary / Paul Hamilton, Caleb Vinson / USA / 45 min.
Koentopp follows master luthier Dan Koentopp through the construction of one of his gorgeous guitars, and the emotional life story that has made him what he is today.Q&A with directors.
Chicago Premiere
Battle of the Jazz Guitarist
Short Documentary / Mark Columbus / USA / 8 min.
A young filmmaker begins to understand what his father, "the Jimi Hendrix of the Fiji Islands,” gave up for his family.
Chicago Premiere
The Final Note
Short Documentary / Mayeta Clark / USA / 16 min.
This portrait of a Bronx warehouse cluttered with pianos and the eccentric characters who restore them presents the decline of a once-majestic instrument and the high craft of piano restoration.
Chicago Premiere
Grand Canal
Short Fiction / Johnny Ma / USA, Canada / 19 min.
A boat captain who loves Chinese ballads tries to collect a debt to save his fleet of boats, as remembered by his ten-year-old son.
North American Premiere
Short Documentary - Box of Sound
Chuck Przybyl / USA / 12 min.
Chicago-based circuit bender and musician Antoine Kattar turns a cigar box into a synthesizer in this film that lovingly documents every step of the process, from concept to music.
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.
Short Documentary - Who Shot Rock & Roll: The Film
Steven Kochones / USA / 37 min.
Through conversations with photographers and musicians,Who Shot Rock & Roll explores the stories behind the most enduring photos in rock history.
Chicago Premiere of Short Fiction Heaven’s Vanguard
Emil Goodman / Hungary / 11 min.
Eight years after a tragedy drove him into retirement, the last great jazz star on a manmade planet plays a farewell performance that forces him to relive it.