Film Girl Film Festival 2020: Bitchin Shorts

Our series of late night shorts. Get weird. WARNING: Graphic content.

Lotería!: Rafa is forced into the trial of his life when he awakens to find himself face to face with Destiny and her deck of lotería cards.

Golden: “Golden” is a wordless screendance in which a woman discovers, after years of domestic life, that her independence, intellectual curiosity, and sexual vibrancy are as powerful as ever. In dream-like sequences, she encounters the self she has been and the self that she can become. From her musings emerges a passionate self-declaration, elucidated by repeated choreographic motifs, flashbacks and flashforwards, and the evolution of color and set decor. By extension, “Golden” affirms a woman’s right to define herself- rather than be defined by others. At the same time, it also rejects the notion that aging women have an “expiration date” in terms of inherent value. In all, “Golden” is a unique alchemy- from drudgery to sparkling beauty.

Midnight Rose: A young superheroine must make a great sacrifice to protect her secret identity when a caring educator takes note of her mysterious injuries and becomes suspicious.

Playhouse: Playhouse is a dive into the absurd world of two female lovers, as they experiment with notions of power and representation, playfully alternating between who is in charge and creating different levels of reality. In a remote vacation house, somewhere in Europe, a young couple debates the representation of women and sex in films. After it becomes obvious that they are of differing opinions, the two women decide to use their own camera to film each other, creating a film within the film. Thus begins a playful exploration of their relationship, as they start playing a game that will prove to reveal and challenge the roles they play in their relationship. Playhouse explores the power dynamics within a queer relationship, questioning the roles we assume and what happens when those roles are reversed. Do patriarchal structures remain within same-sex relationships? In playing their game, Line and Rosie assume both the role of filmmaker and subject, allowing them to grapple with the notions of power and representation directly.

We Are Fighting You Now: We Are Fighting You Now is the new single by Ami Saraiya & The Outcome written in honor of activists who protest injustice and who work to realize a better future by living a better present. The song is a call for all of us to join in. it speaks to the surreal nature of our current cultural moment and is accompanied by an equally surreal animated video by Chicago multimedia artist Gretchen Hasse.

Scutly: The Matour is home to two forces of nature -- the spunky, bubbly Pastel Girls and Scutly, a quirky senior citizen facing Alzheimer’s. When these personalities collide, The Pastel Girls and Scutly find common ground in unexpected places.
The Gift: A girl with uncommonly large ears is bullied at school, but finds solace in her friendship with a crow in the woods. She feeds the bird everyday and in exchange it presents her with gifts, until a violent encounter at school causes their ritual to take an unsettling turn.

Circus Person: Inspired by the woman her fiancé left her for, a grieving painter (Britt Lower) joins a one-ring circus to reclaim her forgotten wildness. Fusing animated body paint with live action, Circus Person brings healing and humor to the drama of heartbreak.