MdFF PRIDE
SPECIAL
GUEST CURATOR
MICKEY R MAHONEY
Mickey R Mahoney is a Professor, Adj., at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he developed and teaches Queer and Trans cinema classes. Mickey’s short films, Midwestern Hospitality, Acrobats and Sword-swallowers, The Undergrad, and Traverse City continue to screen worldwide. Mahoney was a Director and Actor on the Showtime TV series Work In Progress and a Creative Consultant on the Netflix documentary, Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen. He is currently co-writing The Hunted, a transtastic thriller, with Lilly Wachowski.
Photo by Christa Holka.
SPECIAL
GUEST CURATOR
LILLY WACHOWSKI
Lilly Wachowski is a trans woman and lifelong Chicago resident. She holds a half-finished BA as well as an almost completed Post Baccalaureate certificate from SAIC. Lilly has worked as a Building Maintenance Technician’s Assistant, self-employed carpenter, and Writer/Producer/Director. Some of her credits include The Matrix, Sense8, V for Vendetta, Bound, and Work in Progress. She also paints; sometimes she paints ducks.
Photo by Christa Holka.
In cahoots with the Maryland Film Festival, Mickey R Mahoney and Lilly Wachowski present an evening of Trans Shorts Under the Stars! A collection of works assured to fill up your heart with trans and queer joy, love, artistry, and excellence. Join us in celebrating this vital movement of trans and nonbinary filmmaking!
TRANS SHORTS UNDER THE STARS
Location: Current Space | Outdoor Screening
In cahoots with the Maryland Film Festival, Mickey R Mahoney and Lilly Wachowski present an evening of Trans Shorts Under the Stars! A collection of Read More→
Sat, May 4
8:15 PM
COMING OUT
Cressa Maeve Áine, 2023, 3 Min
A tender stop-motion animation about identity, love, and giant monsters. Endorsed officially by Toho, the studio responsible for the iconic creature, this short brings awareness Read More→
A tender stop-motion animation about identity, love, and giant monsters. Endorsed officially by Toho, the studio responsible for the iconic creature, this short brings awareness and support for LGBTQ stories into the Godzilla canon.
Director: Cressa Maeve Áine
2023 | 3 Min | USA
ALL THE WORDS BUT THE ONE
Nava Mau, 2024, 19 Min
A dinner with her partner’s new boss becomes precarious when Maya realizes she’s also dining with someone from her past. World Premiere Director: Nava Mau Read More→
A dinner with her partner’s new boss becomes precarious when Maya realizes she’s also dining with someone from her past.
World Premiere
Director: Nava Mau
2024 | 19 Min | USA
DILATING FOR MAXIMUM RESULTS
Nyala Moon, 2023, 14 Min
A whacky, irrelevant comedy about a black trans woman who tries to dilate, after four years of not dilating, to hook-up IRL with her online Read More→
A whacky, irrelevant comedy about a black trans woman who tries to dilate, after four years of not dilating, to hook-up IRL with her online boyfriend.
Director: Nyala Moon
2023 | 14 Min | USA
ARE YOU SURE?
Perette Barella, 2023, 10 Min
Transgender woman Sarah struggles to jump the same transition hurdle, again and again. Director: Perette Barella 2023 | 10 Min | USA
I'M IN LOVE WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE
Andrea Walter, 2023, 13 Min
Two goth teens face an ingredient supply issue as they prepare to resurrect the soul of Edgar Allan Poe. World Premiere Director: Andrea Walter 2023 Read More→
Two goth teens face an ingredient supply issue as they prepare to resurrect the soul of Edgar Allan Poe.
World Premiere
Director: Andrea Walter
2023 | 13 Min | USA
SPOOKABLE
Jonathan Andre Culliton, 2023, 15 Min
“Spookable” is the story of two trans best friends, Sean and Tahmina, who go to vacation in the woods only to end up a part Read More→
“Spookable” is the story of two trans best friends, Sean and Tahmina, who go to vacation in the woods only to end up a part of the supernatural world.
World Premiere
Director: Jonathan Andre Culliton
2023 | 15 Min | USA
BURTON BEFORE AND AFTER
Courtney Hermann, 2017, 15 Min
Fifteen years after Burton began his gender-affirming transition, his longtime friend Courtney calls him up with news that she has uncovered a cache of home Read More→
Fifteen years after Burton began his gender-affirming transition, his longtime friend Courtney calls him up with news that she has uncovered a cache of home video footage from that time period. Courtney proposes that they go on-camera to revisit the old footage together. Burton Before and After is an intimate portrait of transition, memory, and friendship.
Director: Courtney Hermann
2017 | 15 Min | USA
HERE WITH YOU
Noah Shamus, 2017, 7 Min
When Imani goes to her friend's housewarming party, she meets a boy who piques her interest. She invites him over to hang out while she Read More→
When Imani goes to her friend's housewarming party, she meets a boy who piques her interest. She invites him over to hang out while she gets ready for another party, only to realize that they have more in common than she thought.
Director: Noah Shamus
2017 | 7 Min | USA
Q+ SHORTS
Location: MICA Lazarus Auditorium
Narrative and documentary shorts about LGBTQ+ love and films about the struggles and importance of self acceptance.
Sat, May 4
3 PM
GRACE
Natalie Jasmine Harris, 2023, 13 Min
Sixteen-year-old Grace prepares for her baptism in the rural 1950's South. When she learns she must repent before the ritual, Grace contemplates her romantic feelings Read More→
Sixteen-year-old Grace prepares for her baptism in the rural 1950's South. When she learns she must repent before the ritual, Grace contemplates her romantic feelings toward her best friend Louise.
Director: Natalie Jasmine Harris
2023, 13 Min, USA
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO PUSSY NOIR
Amy Oden, 2023, 23 Min
DC native Pussy Noir is a performer who challenges the boundaries of theater, drag and the traditional art scene. Venture behind the scenes of her Read More→
DC native Pussy Noir is a performer who challenges the boundaries of theater, drag and the traditional art scene. Venture behind the scenes of her historic fellowship at the Kennedy Center and onto the catwalk of her fashion show that distinctively fuses queerness and couture.
Director: Amy Oden
2023, 23 Min, USA
SASPORUMPET
Brydie O'Connor, 2023, 13 Min
Tennis doubles partners participate in the Kansas State Championship and compete for each other’s attention. Their lively team has some interesting traditions, including a mascot Read More→
Tennis doubles partners participate in the Kansas State Championship and compete for each other’s attention. Their lively team has some interesting traditions, including a mascot that is a preserved shark in a jar named Saporumpet and who may not be a lucky charm after all.
Director:
Brydie O'Connor
2023, 13 Min, USA
UNNAMED
Iranmehr Salimi, 2023, 13 Min
A talented trans volleyball player deals with his family’s disapproval when he tells them his plans for gender affirming surgery. Director: Iranmehr Salimi 2023 | Read More→
A talented trans volleyball player deals with his family’s disapproval when he tells them his plans for gender affirming surgery.
Director: Iranmehr Salimi
2023 | 13 Min | Iran
BLUE SQUARE HEART
William Means, 2023, 30 Min
A drag queen portrayed by Baltimore’s own Sextia N’eight is forced to reconsider his shockingly violent art when his estranged, conservative mother makes a surprise Read More→
A drag queen portrayed by Baltimore’s own Sextia N’eight is forced to reconsider his shockingly violent art when his estranged, conservative mother makes a surprise appearance at one of his performances, in an attempt to reconnect.
Director: William Means
2023 | 30 Min | USA
PRIDE AFTERPARTY
We are celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride with several festival events culminating in a mega queer dance party with a DJ duo, a special drag performance by Pussy Noir, and dancing.
Photograph by Sihan Xu.
GRLPWR DJ Set & Pussy Noir Special Drag Performance
We are celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride with several festival events culminating in a mega queer dance party with a DJ duo, a special drag performance by Read More→
Date: May 4th
Time: 10pm
Venue: The Crown
Admission:
• Included with ticket to Q+ Shorts or Trans Shorts Under the Stars
• $10 without ticket
Performers/Special Guests: GRLPWR, special drag performance by Pussy Noir