Festival Archives: Chicago Intl Film Festival

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After Dark Shorts: Disturbing Diversions

  Various

  France, Hong Kong, Mexico, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States     99 minutes

Synopsis

This collection of uncanny and unhinged stories from around the world represent the growing global appetite for genre films. Full of inventive stories with stunning practical effects, this program will delight late night moviegoers of all stripes. Featuring works by Jake Myers, Marcus Anthony Thomas, Juefang Zhang, Tzuhsuan Peng, Suki-Rose, Cricket Arrison, Rodrigue Huart, Marinthia Gutiérrez, and Blake Simon.

A musician stuck in an office job tries the free kombucha that boosts his coworkers’ productivity, only to discover its sinister side effects in Kombucha! (United States). In Space Plug (United Kingdom), a baby is born into a mysterious white room in outer space. There, they grow up nourished by an extraterrestrial creature, but plagued by a desperate desire to break free. Where The Mountain Women Sing (Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States) blends documentary and found-footage narrative as two filmmakers attempt to capture a bloody shamanic ritual in Northeastern China. In Addiction (Taiwan), a policeman obsessively surveils a girl who owns a small store along a desolate road, unaware that he’s not the only hunter lurking in the area. In Chomp (United States), the relentless pace and high-stakes pressure of a bustling news studio creates the ideal environment for a new kind of monster to emerge. In Transylvanie (France), a newly transitioned vampire tries to transform a neighborhood boy into her eternal companion. But she’s underestimated the lengths it will take to prove her bloodthirsty identity. In She Stays (Ella se queda) (Mexico), Laura navigates a night out in downtown Tijuana, eagerly anticipating the moment her destiny will unfold. And Faces (United States) is a mind-bending portrayal of a shape-shifter’s use of appearances to lure in victims, showing that, at the center, they are only social disguises.

 Chinese, English, French, Mandarin Chinese, No Dialogue, Spanish 

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A woman in a denim jumpsuit stands on a street corner holding an acoustic guitar and staring into camera.

Kombucha! [short film]

  Jake Myers

  United States     7 minutes

Synopsis

A musician stuck in a monotonous office job decides to try the free kombucha that keeps his coworkers cheerful and productive. But the drink comes with a host of unsettling side effects, bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase “consumed by your work.”

This film screens as part of the After Dark Shorts: Disturbing Diversions program.

 English 

Film Credits

  •   John Condne
  •   Geoff Bakken, Jake Myers
  •   Liz Kaar
  •   Matt Brown
  •   Terrence Carey, Claire McFadden, Andy Rowell, Lili Galluzzo
  •   Marco Belloni
  •   Jim Vendiola, Geoff Bakken, Jake Myers
  •   Take Care Productions

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In black and white, a baby lies on its back beneath a framed window of space with a white orb gleaming at its center.

Space Plug [short film]

  Marcus Anthony Thomas

  United Kingdom     14 minutes

Synopsis

A baby is born into a mysterious white room in outer space. There, they grow up nourished by an extraterrestrial creature, but plagued by a desperate desire to break free. Deeply unnerving and wildly inventive, this one-of-a-kind sci-fi journey bursts with style and intrigue.

This film screens as part of the After Dark Shorts: Disturbing Diversions program.

 No Dialogue 

Film Credits

  •   Jordi Morera
  •   Marcus Anthony Thomas
  •   Raluca Petre
  •   Sonja Huttunen
  •   Anthony J. Abraham, Iniki Mariano
  •   Oliver Wegmuller
  •   National Film and TV School

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A forlorn woman stands out in a wintery forest wearing a leather headdress with gray hair wisping across her face.

Where the Mountain Women Sing [short film]

  Juefang Zhang

  Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States     15 minutes

Synopsis

As a desolate community prepares for the succession of a shaman in Northeastern China, a pair of filmmakers recording the process find themselves intertwined in the deadly ritual. Combining found footage with an omniscient perspective, a nightmare unfolds.

This film screens as part of the After Dark Shorts: Disturbing Diversions program.

 Chinese with subtitles

Film Credits

  •   Kathleen I-Ying Lee, Chen Li
  •   Juefang Zhang, Chen Li
  •   Skylar Lin
  •   Yichuan Huang
  •   Fengxiu Guo, Chuqing Wang, Yiming Wang, Qing Xue
  •   Aldo Arechar
  •   When Pigs Fly Films Ltd.

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A bloody policeman sits in front of a fridge next to a girl holding her phone and drinking soda through a straw.

Addiction [short film]

  Tzuhsuan Peng

  Taiwan     15 minutes

Synopsis

On a scorching afternoon along an isolated stretch of road, a lone police officer watches a girl running a small store. His gaze is sharp and relentless, searching for any sign of guilt like a predator stalking its prey. But as he scrutinizes her every move, he isn’t the only one on the hunt.

This film screens as part of the After Dark Shorts: Disturbing Diversions program.

 Mandarin Chinese with subtitles

Film Credits

  •   Yide Lee
  •   Tzuhsuan Peng
  •   Tzuhsua Peng
  •   Kaley Howard Emerson
  •   Ming Yang, Yu-Luen Ko
  •   Aacross Sound Studio
  •   Yide Lee
  •   Arrow Film