Chicago International REEL Shorts Film Festival

This Year's fest features the best short films from throughout the world.  Comedies, action, drama, Horror, Demented, arts,  we are showing a little of everything!  

Schedule of Events

4:00pm - Saturday Afternoon Show

Puppy Love
12 minutes
Director - Daniel Rashid

Emily has to decide if her connection with Austin is real or if she just likes his dog.

The Capoeristas
5 minutes
Chicago
Director - Mariel Mudrik

A group of Chicagoans bond over capoeira, a brazilian martial art, and explore how it has connected them with their community and with their heritage.

Turning 22
6 minutes
Brazil
Director - Cristina Afonso

Dani is a confused and indecisive young lady, but who isn't at 22?

CURSES AREN'T REAL
8 minutes
Illinois
Director - Wes Tian

A cursed mirror terrorizes a boy (Wes Tian), driving him to the edge of his sanity.

Gold Up
6 minutes
France
Director - Maxime BOURDEAU-HERBIN, Léa BROSSE, Maël CHARUEL, Juliette COUZI, Ophelie DUPERE, Aurore DUPONT, Carla FAYET, Oceane SEAPHANH

A sympathetic Mexican bandit and his donkey confront a charismatic American bandit and his stallion during a train robbery. They want to steal the gold carried by the train, but the donkey is a fan of the stallion, so all may not go according to plan.

Learning To Fly
3 minutes
Wisconsin
Director - Samuel Alexander Slowik

Learning to fly is a stop motion film by Sam Slowik featuring the adventure of Lego man and his rig friend, as they set out to learn how to fly.

The Missing Picture.
12 minutes
California
Director - Steve Valley

A man finds a mysterious picture that helps bring closure after the loss of his father.

Fitting Descriptions
10 minutes
Chicago
Director - Tiffany Bedwell, John Mossman

Dina, an aging CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) stage actor haunted by a past humiliation, tries to jump-start her failing on-camera career by rebranding. Outside a Chicago coffeehouse Dina begrudgingly solicits passersby for first impressions, then weathers the resulting IRL likes, comments, and plain indifference of strangers and her industry alike. But when her past and present collide, Dina’s authorial CODA “voice” awakens.

Under Cover
5 minutes
New Zealand
Director - Guillaume Arnoulet

In this dark comedy thriller, two women embark on a mission to unravel the mystery behind their friend's shady boyfriend, only to stumble upon a web of shocking secrets.

Sugar In An Open Wound
17 minutes
Chicago
Director - Jeff Schneider

Sugar In An Open Wound is a short rom-com/drama about a love-jaded man who attempts to move on from his ex-girlfriend at a concert.

6:00pm - Saturday Evening Show

Henrietta Finds a Nest
8 minutes
California
Director - Hannah McNally

In the animated short film Henrietta Finds a Nest, a young chick named Henrietta embarks on a heartwarming journey from neglect at a factory farm to friendship with a little girl. With tender moments, gentle humor, and a timeless message of connection, this seven-minute tale invites audiences of all ages to embrace the magic of friendship and the power of compassion.

Marginal
9 minutes
Colorado
Director - Kristin Carlson, Van Wampler

An avid reader, obsessed with uncovering the identity of whoever penned the marginal notes in her newly purchased books, returns to the bookstore where she bought them only to discover that intellectual freedom depends on reading between the lines.

Trading Faces
9 minutes
Chicago
Director - Jimmy Malone, Chris Johnson

A dare gone wrong lands 12 year old Sam to spend the night in a mysterious costume shop on Halloween night.

Really Good Driver
8 minutes
California
Director - Alex Song-Xia

An Asian American mom teaches her grown-up child how to drive, forcing both to confront parts of the car, and themselves, they never have before.

Spermatozoon
6 minutes
Canada
Director - Cathy Tang

Good news! She's pregnant. Bad news... their doctor used the wrong sperm.

Noumena
3 minutes
Director - Coby Resnick, Yanni Economos

"Noumena" is an experimental film that explores the Kantian principles of reality. It follows a student studying at a library late at night as she tries to understand concept of metaphysics. As she becomes deeper in thought, her environment fantasically begins to shift and transform around her as the line between reality and perception blurs.

The Bag
4 minutes
California
Director - John Patrick Aguirre

Nelson, a carefree and adventurous spirit, convinces his skeptical and cautious friend Bishop to join him on a mysterious mission: delivering a bag of unknown contents to a remote and suspicious location. Nelson, with his persuasive ways, assures Bishop that it's just a simple delivery job and that they'll be handsomely rewarded.

As they embark on their journey, Bishop becomes increasingly uneasy, questioning the legitimacy of their task and the safety of their destination. Nelson, however, remains optimistic and enthusiastic, brushing off Bishop's concerns with humor and reassurance.

As they get closer to their destination, Bishop's anxiety reaches its peak. He begins to imagine all sorts of worst-case scenarios, including being involved with dangerous criminals.

When they finally reach the remote location, they are greeted by a bizarre character that neither of them expected. What is in THE bag. You'll see. Maybe?

The Window
8 minutes
Chicago
Director - Miguel Lepe, Jr.

Caught sneaking in late, a father and daughter navigate a tense, whispered conversation, careful not to wake the house as they tiptoe around deeper issues.

Flight 666
7 minutes
France
Director - Julie Corniere, Anselme de Pertat, Killian Derlin, Manon François, Anaïs Lavault, Léo Le Corre, Aliénor Poisson, Lucas Roy

During a flight for a dream vacation, Johnny, a compulsive gambler and notorious crook, finds himself propelled to Hell with his wife Monica. To save their souls, they will have to confront and beat the Devil at his own game in Hell's Casino.

My Best Nut
22 minutes
Illinois
Director - David Bradburn

Jude isn't the life of the party; he is the party. But this is only after he's forced to spend his days in the hospital fighting cancer. Soon the patients around him look forward to seeing him as much as they don't look forward to their next round of treatment.

8:00pm - Saturday Night Show

Whitewash
13 minutes
California
Director - Jerry Hsu

After being accepted into the ‘Ivory Estates’, a queer Asian man moves in with his new fiancé and discovers that he’s the only person of color in the neighborhood-among the estates' other secrets.

Live, Laugh, Love
9 minutes
New York
Director - Aaron Cassara

Logan and Jane are on the brink of divorce. Logan has been neglecting Jane because of work and the desire to connect with his music. Jane couldn’t get through to Logan and a colleague of hers started giving her the attention and care that she needed.

They work through infidelity with no resolution in sight when a distressed girl arrives at their door. This girl carries with her the wrath of all their marital troubles.

Mr. Static
10 minutes
California
Director - Mike Williamson

A woman must watch a live video stream of household murders that are mysteriously broadcast to an old television, or face dire consequences.

Won't Be Around
3 minutes
Illinois
Director - Terry Blade

"Won't Be Around" is a song written and performed by singer-songwriter Terry Blade. At its core, the song is about leaving an abusive relationship by having the will to speak it, the courage to do it, and the strength to never return to it. The music video follows three individuals who are descendants of African-American sharecroppers, and who confront the racial history of sharecropping in the American south by showing that black bodies can exist and subsist on land in the south without the exploitation of black labor.

The Pleasures of the Damned
5 minutes
Australia
Director - James Lawler

An Americana bar holds a dramatic confrontation when an old drunk’s unstoppable day drinking is questioned by a young bartender.
Inspired by the Charles Bukowski poem; a glimpse into what keeps an addict drinking and the quiet suffering of those who seemingly give up everything in search of pleasure.

Ice Cream. Sladoled
13 minutes
Chicago
Director - Steve Spremo

A Day in the Life of a recent immigrant, where no one understands anyone else, and a trip to buy ice cream triggers a series of absurd misadventures.

The Subtitles Are Color Coded:
Serbian (white)
Spanish (yellow)
Broken Serbian or Broken Spanish (orange)
English (not subtitled)

Today I Fell in Love
4 minutes
Director - Jesse Foy

An elderly man’s encounter with a woman in a grocery store blossoms into a beautiful day, capturing the essence of timeless love and memories; a reminder that love knows no age.

Prawn Star
9 minutes
Chicago
Director - Mitch Deitz, Juan C. Linares

When a young shrimp gains aspirations to become an actor, he purposefully gets caught by humans so he can end up at a fancy restaurant and on the plate of someone who could make him famous.

Shot partially underwater and partially on location in a restaurant and bar, this tale of a puppeteered peeled shrimp and his movie star aspirations illustrates the absurdity of "going for it" and what it can really take to follow your dreams...

Miracle Wood
6 minutes
California
Director - Johnny Rey Diaz

A lonely, depressed old man finds hope in a holy piece of wood.

The Dandelion Girl
19 minutes
Canada
Director - Rogan Lovse

Based on the short story by Robert F. Young. Written in 1961.

Mark, a middle-aged man encounters a young, mysterious woman, while staying at his cabin, who claims to be a time traveler from the future. Over the course of a few days, Mark and the young woman, Julie, begin to form a budding romance with one another. Mark is unhappy in his life, in a stale marriage, where he goes through the motions of living and work.

Click here for Tickets