From Curation to Exhibition: Chicago Seen Vol. 15

Hello all!

I am thrilled to be sharing my experience as Chicago Filmmakers’ Film Festival Programming intern. When I first joined the team, the Reeling Film Festival was just a few weeks away. I helped create audience voting ballots, badges for filmmakers and other VIP’s, and documents that detailed the night’s program for the projectionist.

I became more involved with the Onion City Experimental Film Festival. On the administrative end, I corresponded with filmmakers and distributors from all over the world. This part of the process really opened my eyes to the complexities and difficulties of independent distribution and what putting a film through the festival circuit entailed. I also screened a plethora of films submitted to the festival. This was my introduction to the screening and reviewing phase of programming, which I had been looking forward to since applying for the position. I would watch a film and rate it overall on a scale of 1-10. I then rated different technical and creative aspects of the film, such as pacing, structure, direction, etc. Additionally, I wrote a brief paragraph on my thoughts and whether the film should be shown or not.

The culmination of my internship has been working alongside my supervisor to curate, screen, and exhibit local films as a part of the Chicago Seen series Vol. 15. I screened over 65 films, narrowed the list to about 15, and from there, my supervisor and I chose the 9 that would be screened. At the event itself, I worked box office checking people in, selling concessions, and giving directions to arriving audience members. We were lucky enough to have 5 of the filmmakers in the audience, so after the films were screened, I moderated a Q&A where I asked the filmmakers a few prepared questions and then it was opened up to the audience. This part of the evening was an absolute thrill! I had never hosted a Q&A in front of a live audience, so there was definitely some nervousness on my end, but the folks I chatted with and the audience were lovely. Clips from the Q&A’s are available here!

I don’t really have words for the joy and gratitude I have for my experience this semester, especially the screening. For the past few years, I’ve said I am happiest on a film set, but curating, exhibiting, and moderating the Q&A has been a highlight not only of this past semester but of undergrad as a whole. The event nearly sold out and everyone in attendance was so enthusiastic to support the Chicago filmmaking community. I look forward to becoming more involved in the Chicago film community and hope to work on more events like Chicago Seen. Thank you all and I can’t wait to bring you more updates!