Shorts, 104 min, Not rated
Shorts program presenting films from around the Great Lakes region.
Director: Ellison Winterstein
Narrative Short, United States, 2022, 4 min, Color
A young man makes a record of how a mysterious stranger has been following his family for generations.
Great Lakes Connection: The film was produced in East Lansing, Michigan by an all-Michigan-native cast and crew.
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Director: Max Delfino
Narrative Short, United States, 2023, 10 min, Color, Student Project - University of Southern California, Los Angeles
In a future in which a personalized algorithm decides the major for each student, Kate, an economics major with an artistic calling, is faced with the choice of trusting the system or trying to subvert it from within.
Great Lakes Connection: The writer/director/producer teaches at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The character of Kate was inspired by his students and their dreams.
Director: Devin O’Rourke
Narrative Short, United States, 2023, 5 min, Color
A husband prepares for a night in with his wife by making something special in the garage.
Great Lakes Connection: The film was shot in Michigan. The filmmakers are from Holland and Saugatuck, Michigan. They are also the creators of the Saugatuck Film Fest.
Director: Chen Sing Yap
Animation, Canada, 2022, 7 min, Color, Student Project - Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario
A psychotherapist struggling with climate anxiety explores what it means to live in a dying world.
Great Lakes Connection: The film was made in Oakville, a city in southern Ontario. It briefly discusses the narrator’s childhood in Owen Sound, another city in southern Ontario.
Director: Gerald Hamilton
Documentary Short, United States, 2023, 25 min, Color
Joseph Williams is the founder and executive director of a Chicago-based organization called Mr. Dad’s Father’s Club. The organization aims to keep fathers active in their children’s lives by having fathers from the community go into classrooms and read to the kids.
Often seen wearing a red cardigan while reading books to the children, Williams was given the nickname “The Black Mr. Rodgers.”
This film documents Williams’s journey to enrich his community and highlights his rough upbringing and current struggle to keep his program alive.
Great Lakes Connection: The film was shot in Chicago and centers around a Chicago native.
Director: Neil Willoughby
Narrative Short, United States, 2022, 6 min, Color
The night turns to terror when uninvited guests crash a Halloween party.
Great Lakes Connection: The film was shot in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. The cast and crew are all Michiganders!
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Director: Frank DeMarco
Narrative Short, Canada, 2022, 2 min, Color
A string of murders has taken place and the bodies are found in handmade wooden boxes. Who is the man behind these killings? Who is “The Carpenter?”
Great Lakes Connection: The film was shot in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The writer/director and actors are from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Director: Frank DeMarco
Narrative Short, Canada, 2022, 5 min, Color
The night is going badly for a young teen when he runs into car trouble. It’s about to get a whole lot worse...
Great Lakes Connection: The film was shot in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The writer/director and actors are from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Director: Bryanna Vachon
Narrative Short, Canada, 2020, 10 min, Color, Student Project - Sault College, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
A hotel handyman gets fired and decides to seek revenge on his former boss and coworkers.
Great Lakes Connection: This film was shot in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The writer/director and cast are from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Director: Jeff Vande Zande
Narrative Short, United States, 2023, 2 min, Color
It was the strangest ride share service he’d ever experienced.
Great Lakes Connection: All Michigan-made!
Director: Mark Blane
Narrative Short, Portugal, 2023, 28 min, Black and White and Color
This deadly serious lo-fi thriller, shot in Portugal with an iPhone on a tiny budget, follows a queer forgetful killer and the (b)romance between him and his handler.
Great Lakes Connection: The writer/director is originally from Valparaiso, Indiana.
Friday, Sep 15, 5:30pm
Soo Theatre
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