The Onion City late night program returns this year as NOCTURNAL CACOPHONY, an amalgamation of bizarre, mind-bending, hilarious, hypnotizing shorts. An evening bender that lets you indulge in addictive audiovisuals while scrutinizing the ruptures and holes in the fabric of human society.

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Chicago Filmmakers does not deny admission to those who do not have the ability to make a donation. Please email coop [at] chicagofilmmakers.org to inquire about free admission.

The film you are about to see | Maxime Marinot | France | 2023 | 11 Mins

Please note that the film you are about to see is taken from real material of film history, namely the disclaimers and warnings that frame the existence of many films. However, any collusion between art and industry, any conflict of interest between freedom of creation and the law, or any hint of moralism on the life of images, would be purely incidental and unintentional.

Portrait 001: Security Guard | Tanner Masseth | USA | 2023 | 12 Mins

An aging security guard walks his beat along an abandoned strip mall, contemplating the suburban landscape and his purpose in guarding the vacant property.

the triangle* | ben sonjira young | USA | 2023 | 4 Mins

on a fourth night, i had a dream

discontent, i saw i was one of three prongs, on a triangle

*In-Person Screening Only

Living Reality | Philip Thompson | USA | 2024 | 16 Mins

A tonal shift occurs inside the world of an American sitcom, resulting in the disruption of the show’s rhythm. As it evolves, a looming presence of banality casts a shadow on the show’s bright lights and bubbly personalities. Moments of vulnerability and honesty begin to seep into a world filled with shallow conflicts and punchlines.

Stress Eating Time | Michael Bucuzzo | The Netherlands | 2023 | 10 Mins

Crushed under the unbearable weight of time, an airplane has an existential crisis and hijacks itself. Exploring the suspended space in the air as a zone between life and death, anxiety and calm, technology and spirituality.

Nobody Wants to Fix Things Anymore | Joseph Wilcox | USA | 2023 | 4 Mins

A short film about a lost man who finds a special rock. The narrative uses AI generated images and speech, surveillance photographs, and original video to weave together a story of the search for a kindred spirit.

Nowhere Stream | Luis Grane | USA | 2023 | 7 Mins

A nowhere man swimming with the Nowhere Stream seeks meaning in the virtual world and fails. When he gets a second chance, he finds that the answer was closer than initially expected.

Spark From a Falling Star* | Ross Meckfessel | USA | 2023 | 21 Mins

An odd, unseen alien presence arrives. Beyond the usual fondness for abduction, it transforms people into objects, and public spaces to private real estate. While the world is devoured in its never-ending thirst for conquest, every zone becomes imprinted by the arrival.

*In-Person Screening Only

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Tags: Andersonville, ben sonjira young, Chicago, Chicago Filmmakers, Joseph Wilcox, Luis Grane, Maxime Marinot, Michael Bucuzzo, NOCTURNAL CACOPHONY, OCFF 2024: NOCTURNAL CACOPHONY, Onion City Experimental Film Festival, Philip Thompson, Ross Meckfessel, Tanner Masseth