top of page
BTSSFF plus RAW_2021.png

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 

program

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Elise Jaffe

60-Second

Chicago, IL

Much to her dismay, art historian Rachel has agreed to attend a speed dating event.

7

Muffy

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Morgan Wynne & Roddy Hyduk

Small Shorts

Brooklyn, NY

A portrait of a Canadian artist and his unlikely canvas.

13

Neon Heat

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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?

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Phakchayot Charrunchon

Small Shorts

Thailand

Sainam gathers the courage to show her feelings for her senior crush.

31

Cultural Composition

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Alva Egan

60-Second

Chicago, IL

When you bite off more than you can chew but learn to love it.

34

Postal

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Naaji Adzimah

Small Shorts

Brooklyn, NY

A film on mental illness, and the madness of those who don't understand.

37

Trash

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Dylan Monroe

Small Shorts

United States

A car accident spurs an innocent man to go on an impromptu killing spree.

40

A cold dinner

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Becka Riccio

60-Second

Chicago, IL

The intersection of harmony as it relates to when audio meets visual.

2

Pneuma

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Patrick Lewtschanyn

60-Second

Chicago, IL

A journey of spirit, transformation and the many faces of oneness.

5

Sc@tter_me

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Alex Goddard

Small Shorts

United Kingdom

A man contemplates his final resting place.

8

Man Hit By Wave

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Bryan Ward

60-Second

Chicago, IL

An over-anxious man is anesthetized by a crashing wave.

11

The Original Fifty Cents

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Sarah Clark

Small Shorts

Chicago, IL

Dating is hard... Zoom dating is harder.

20

Venus

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Carlos Douglas Jr

Small Shorts

Munster, IN

A bold young girl discovers a hidden musical gift during her first symphony concert.

26

Kevin & Irena

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Lizzy Rudakas & Clark Pavlik

Small Shorts

Chicago, IL

A man dares to change the style of his mustache.

50

Lost & Found

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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?

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Mike Trivisonno

60-Second

Chicago, IL

A tinkerer wrestles with his maddening pursuit of perfection as he completes his latest creation.

24

Whiskey Face

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Brent Bouchard

Small Shorts

Canada

Two lawyers have a serious discussion over a drink. Will they pass the bar?

27

6:23 AM

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Geoffrey Breton

Small Shorts

United Kingdom

Never forget who you've fallen in love with...

30

The Mother

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Le Huy Anh

Small Shorts

Vietnam

An adult man's journey to find his childhood again.

33

Benson's Beans

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Meg Grunewald

60-Second

Chicago, IL

An exploration of how women treat each other based on fashion, and other things.

39

Ms. Rossi

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Pat Battistini

Small Shorts

Italy

While on her way to a business meeting, Ms. Rossi takes an interesting detour.

42

WALI

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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?

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Aaron Roman

Small Shorts

United States

A customer chooses combat as a method of payment for their coffee.

48

Good As Gold

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

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.

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Josh Brown

Small Shorts

United Kingdom

A flashing smoke alarm sends a sleepless man into an existential crisis of self-doubt.

54

Oh

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Cathal Feeney

Small Shorts

Ireland

On a short bus journey a young boy quizzes his father about the world.

57

TUSCANY

01_TightSpot_edited.jpg

Geoffrey Brenton

Small Shorts

United Kingdom

A couple are clearing plastic on the banks of the Thames, when she decides to take feminist action.

fest descriptions

The Big Teeth 60-Second Film Fest is an annual (prior to Covid) event featuring local filmmakers creating original films that are all one minute long. The films are each inspired by a famous work of art that was provided at random to each filmmaker. You can learn more about this festival here.

The Big Teeth Small Shorts Film Fest is a semi-annual film fest taking place at different local breweries in Chicago. Films are submitted from all over the world ranging from emerging artists to experienced pros. The only criteria is that the film must be under 5 minutes long. Check it out here.

Back to the Program

bottom of page