Ravenswood After Dark
Big Teeth "Best of the Fests"
Program
Thanks for joining us for a fun night of short films and top notch cocktails under the stars.
The Big Teeth 60-Second Film Festival has been part of the Ravenswood Art Walk since 2015 and while it wasn't the right time to bring it back in the Big Teeth studio with Covid still plaguing us, we wanted to give Art Walkers a chance to experience some of what they love about the past shows and add in a few twists.
If you've attended past 60-second film fests you may not know that in 2019 we took the success of that program and created The Big Teeth Small Shorts Film Fest that champions short form storytelling from a diverse set of voices. The films you'll see tonight are a curated roster of films from both festivals that feature fan and jury favorites from all the screenings. If this is your first Big Teeth fest, then we hope you love what you see. You'll laugh, cry, think, and as we always say, if you don't like one of the films - just wait a few minutes.
Thanks to our friends at Koval and their beautiful new spot on Ravenswood, we decided to join forces to capture the best experience possible and we hope you have a great night and enjoy the show.
Sincerely,
Gregg Jaffe, Festival Director
Keriann Kwalik, Festival Producer
There are 57 films being screened, all under 5-minutes long. Act 1 features films 1-29 and Act 2 starts at film 30. To see which festival each film original screened at look for one of the following codes:
"Small Shorts" = Big Teeth Small Shorts
"60-Second" = Big Teeth 60-Second Film Festival
Want to know the difference between the fests? Click here.
(Intermission ~9:00pm)
1
Tight Spot
Kevin Haefelin
Small Shorts
Switzerland
Shining the shoes of a walk-in customer, a shiner discovers his client’s dark secret.
4
The David's of Dating
Elise Jaffe
60-Second
Chicago, IL
Much to her dismay, art historian Rachel has agreed to attend a speed dating event.
7
Muffy
Emily Draper
Small Shorts
New York, NY
A woman in 1970s' suburbia gets sweet, creamy revenge when her husband flirts with another woman in front of her.
10
Rust Bucket
Morgan Wynne & Roddy Hyduk
Small Shorts
Brooklyn, NY
A portrait of a Canadian artist and his unlikely canvas.
13
Neon Heat
Mike Trivisonno
60-Second
Chicago, IL
A woman using the latest VR technology soon realizes that her simulated world is more real than she expected.
16
iDad
Gregg Jaffe
60-Second
Chicago, IL
A modern interpretation of the parent and child relationship. Is this an ordinary or extraordinary day?
19
Waiting by the phone
Olivia Jensen
Small Shorts
Chicago, IL
A woman grieves her dead sister by trying to keep her memory alive, by taking care of both her and herself.
22
Birth Cycle, a flip book by Zak Zych
Zak Zych
Small Shorts
St. Louis, MO
After nine months in the womb a baby makes a daring and dramatic entrance into the world!
25
Martin the Sea Turtle
Molly Clark
Small Shorts
United States
Martin the sea turtle recalls how he turned his traumatic past of being abandoned on the beach into a thriving present working at a local resort.
28
Huh?
Phakchayot Charrunchon
Small Shorts
Thailand
Sainam gathers the courage to show her feelings for her senior crush.
31
Cultural Composition
Alva Egan
60-Second
Chicago, IL
When you bite off more than you can chew but learn to love it.
34
Postal
Naaji Adzimah
Small Shorts
Brooklyn, NY
A film on mental illness, and the madness of those who don't understand.
37
Trash
Dylan Monroe
Small Shorts
United States
A car accident spurs an innocent man to go on an impromptu killing spree.
40
A cold dinner
Gulzhan Sitakhmetova
Small Shorts
Russia
A cold dinner is a dish with bad news. Today it will be more disgusting and destructive than yesterday; and tomorrow will not come at all.
43
Apartment 2E
Elise Jaffe
60-Second
Chicago, IL
Have you ever stopped to think how much history there is in one bedroom? This is the story of Apartment 2E and all the people who have experienced joy and sorrow within its walls.
46
Goldfish
Nick Szubart, Emma Henderson
Small Shorts
Los Angeles, CA
An exploration of a cracker shaped like a fish.
49
I want to love you in analogue
Paula Harris & April Lampre
Small Shorts
New Zealand
A film about the melancholic yearning to love someone. Based on the poem "I want to love you in analogue" by Paula Harris.
52
Penelope
Patrick Lewtschanyn
60-Second
Chicago, IL
Hunter K-009 embarks on a contract that may be too much to chew.
55
Music to my eyes
Becka Riccio
60-Second
Chicago, IL
The intersection of harmony as it relates to when audio meets visual.
2
Pneuma
Patrick Lewtschanyn
60-Second
Chicago, IL
A journey of spirit, transformation and the many faces of oneness.
5
Sc@tter_me
Alex Goddard
Small Shorts
United Kingdom
A man contemplates his final resting place.
8
Man Hit By Wave
Bryan Ward
60-Second
Chicago, IL
An over-anxious man is anesthetized by a crashing wave.
11
The Original Fifty Cents
John Akre
Small Shorts
Minneapolis, MN
John F. Kennedy is no longer with us, but he can still inspire and protect us through his presence in the Kennedy half dollar.
14
Breaking & Entering
Nancy Khurana
Small Shorts
Chicago, IL
Two burglars out of their element break into a house to find the occupants have just moved in, making for an awkward encounter.
17
Total Catch
Sarah Clark
Small Shorts
Chicago, IL
Dating is hard... Zoom dating is harder.
20
Venus
Carmen Jaffe
60-Second
Chicago, IL
This is a story about how a girl named Venus was born. We watch her grow into a woman and discover who she really is.
23
Kenya's Symphony
Carlos Douglas Jr
Small Shorts
Munster, IN
A bold young girl discovers a hidden musical gift during her first symphony concert.
26
Kevin & Irena
Prashanti Aswani
Small Shorts
United Kingdom
An interview from the British Sound Library between Kevin, 1954- (male, university professor) and Irena, 1948- (female, retired) from Warwick on how they met.
29
The Lost Art of Being Mediocre
Kolja Haaf
Small Shorts
Germany
As a truth-or-dare game gets out of hand the players find themselves confronted with their own banality.
32
LAX to Vancouver
Zach Dorn
Small Shorts
Valencia, CA
An animated short about a trip from the LAX International Airport to Vancouver.
35
The Girl Without the Pearl Earring
Julie Schultz & Jackie Avellar
60-Second
Denver, CO & Chicago, IL
A fun Friday night, turns into a Saturday morning of anxiety and confusion. Where did I leave that...
38
If It Ain’t Baroque
Gregg Jaffe
60-Second
Chicago, IL
A happy couple celebrate their anniversary by exchanging gifts, leading to an exploration of self-expression and attempts at pleasing the one you love.
41
FINDING LINES
Mattias Larson
Small Shorts
Sweden
A skateboarder weaving his lines through a right-angled landscape. Exploring the patterns and shapes that man has left behind.
44
Peer
Shayna Strype & Ada Defriez
Small Shorts
New York, NY
Through use of movement and puppetry, a child imagines the progression and eventual unraveling of her parents' marriage.
47
The Mustache
Lizzy Rudakas & Clark Pavlik
Small Shorts
Chicago, IL
A man dares to change the style of his mustache.
50
Lost & Found
Carmen Jaffe
60-Second
Chicago, IL
A story of a boy who gets something very special to him. One day he loses it and is very sad. As the years go by he wonders about his lost item.
53
Adam’s Hands
Gregg Jaffe
60-Second
Chicago, IL
When Adam’s relationship reaches a crossroads he opens himself up to new adventures and new people. Will it make him happier? Maybe yes, maybe no… but life is all about the journey.
56
Final Deathtination
Marika Tamura
Small Shorts
Japan/USA
A man who is about to hang himself encounters Death who is a "travel agent" for finding the best place to die. The odd pair end up on a world tour.
3
Falafel Sundays
Pracheta Ahana Alam & Fahim Arif
Small Shorts
Bangladesh
A short film about a connection to a time, food and a person who serves it, exploring the fleeting connections and tiny interactions that become a part of our nostalgic past.
6
Daddy Issues?
Tony Kelly
Small Shorts
Ireland
A young woman brings her new boyfriend home to meet her parents for the first time as he tries to win the approval of her over protective father.
9
Unsub #3
Becka Riccio
60-Second
Chicago, IL
Unsub #3 is a first attempt at a stop-motion film, made entirely from paper. The story plays with humanity and nature, bringing them together in an abstract way.
12
To Roar For
Danny McCarthy
Small Shorts
Chicago, IL
Earl, a former hero and current security guard, has lost his sense of purpose in life. Madeline, a lonely street performer, struggles with her own. They meet, life changes.
15
How to Make a Phantastik Film
Lindsay McIntyre
Small Shorts
Canada
A satirical look at a prototype retro housewife and her attempts at counter-culture. Brought to you by Phantastik!
18
P I C K I N G
Claire Kinnen
Small Shorts
United States
This is a short poem film shot on super 8 and alternately titled "The ego in a breakup."
21
The Tinkerer
Mike Trivisonno
60-Second
Chicago, IL
A tinkerer wrestles with his maddening pursuit of perfection as he completes his latest creation.
24
Whiskey Face
Brent Bouchard
Small Shorts
Canada
Two lawyers have a serious discussion over a drink. Will they pass the bar?
27
6:23 AM
Geoffrey Breton
Small Shorts
United Kingdom
Never forget who you've fallen in love with...
30
The Mother
Le Huy Anh
Small Shorts
Vietnam
An adult man's journey to find his childhood again.
33
Benson's Beans
Mike Schminke
Small Shorts
Chicago, IL
A turn of the century beans company hires a real cowboy to sell their product but gets more than it bargained for.
36
On Wednesdays, We Wear Pink
Meg Grunewald
60-Second
Chicago, IL
An exploration of how women treat each other based on fashion, and other things.
39
Ms. Rossi
Pat Battistini
Small Shorts
Italy
While on her way to a business meeting, Ms. Rossi takes an interesting detour.
42
WALI
Tobias James & Duncan Nicholls
Small Shorts
United Kingdom
Whilst working as an Interpreter for the British Army in his home country of Afghanistan, Wali Noori was involved in a Taliban ambush and suffered serious injuries as well as the loss of his sight. 'Wali' tells his story and how he found inspiration and healing through sport.
45
Cash, Credit, Or Combat?
Aaron Roman
Small Shorts
United States
A customer chooses combat as a method of payment for their coffee.
48
Good As Gold
Tobias James & Derek Man
Small Shorts
United Kingdom
Two friends discover a washing machine that turns everything in to solid gold. But things quickly go downhill as greed gets the better of them.
51
GREENLIGHT.
Josh Brown
Small Shorts
United Kingdom
A flashing smoke alarm sends a sleepless man into an existential crisis of self-doubt.
54
Oh
Cathal Feeney
Small Shorts
Ireland
On a short bus journey a young boy quizzes his father about the world.
57
TUSCANY
Geoffrey Brenton
Small Shorts
United Kingdom
A couple are clearing plastic on the banks of the Thames, when she decides to take feminist action.