Six films vie for honors at Elgin Short Film Festival Saturday
Six films will vie for top honors on Saturday during the 16th annual Elgin Short Film Festival at the Hemmens Cultural Center.
The films, which are all 20 minutes or shorter, will compete in live-action and animation categories. The top winners will take home trophies and $1,000.
A panel of celebrity judges will select the winners. Audience members will choose a people’s choice winner.
The finalists include:
- “The Bullfighter,” directed by Giselle Bonilla, is a live-action farce about an ex-bullfighter who gets a job as a flag-waving parking attendant to stage a redemptive final bullfight.
- “Chasing June,” directed by Shelby Slager and Alana Areyzaga, is a drama about a man who returns to his hometown a few years after a car accident took his best friend’s life. The man and a friend strain to reconnect as the details of that tragic night are revealed.
- “Cottage Grove,” a film directed by George Ellzey Jr., is about a young man struggling to communicate with his stroke-afflicted father and, at the same time, staying true to himself.
- “Into the Reds Tale,” an animated short directed by Alisdair Zhang. An abomination mimic creature enters the story of “Little Red Riding Hood” and disguises itself as her, tricking the Big Bad Wolf into walking into a trap.
- “Little Pink House,” directed by Olivia Comai and Rachel Dohner, is an animated short that emphasizes the importance of curating a home environment that provides an escape from the constant performance of living in a heteronormative world. How do queer people transform their surroundings to build realities that are softer, safer, and focused on radical joy?
- “Stain,” a live-action short directed by Antonio Arias, is about a young painter who travels through Cicero with stolen products in hopes of cashing in before meeting with his significant other.
A red carpet reception begins at 6 p.m., with the screenings starting at 7 p.m. Tickets to the live screening are $10. At-home virtual screening of the event is available for $25.
Tickets can be purchased at the Hemmens box office, online at hemm.na.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/16954 or by calling (847) 931-5900. Call the box office for virtual tickets.