A monthly mixer to meet other filmmakers and discuss current projects

Free screening event hosted by the Chambana Film Society

When Will Miller came up to me after the screening of Oscar-Nominated documentary short films and told me he was a documentary filmmaker in the area, I didn't expect that he had Sundance-selected feature, and had sold ALL of his films to major shorts buyers (The Guardian, The New Yorker, The New York Times, PBS, etc.)

Will Miller holds a variety of jobs on these films, including Producer, Editor, Cinematographer, and Director. When I saw what a busy and successful filmmaker he was, I was excited about the prospect of showing his future work at various events, but almost immediately he told me that he had been in town for four years, and was leaving after graduation in May!

I hastily threw together this little event, to share a little of Will's work with a local audience, and hopefully have Will share some of his industry experience and wisdom with the local filmmaking community.

Schedule:

7pm: Doors open. Meet & Greet. 
7:30pm: Screening of Will's movies, as well as some current fundraising videos for his upcoming films. This should run about 40 minutes. 
8:10pm: Q&A with Will.

I hope to see you there!

The Illinois Student Film Festival is a festival featuring 15 short films made by students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. There will be free concessions and refreshments, trivia, door prizes, and a filmmaker panel.

This collection of short films features both filmmakers from the Champaign-Urbana region, and filmmakers from the Chicago region.

Tickets

Chambana

High Standards
Narrative • Comedy • USA • 2024 • 12 Minutes
Director: Katie Weston, Christina Giorgi
Writers: Katie Weston, Christina Giorgi
Producers: Katie Weston, Thomas Quinn, Rick Lunn
Cast: Hanna Hagerty, Grace Lumpkin, Halle Berghoff, Megan Christoferson, Jacob Nuti
Four single best friends navigate life together—until one of them falls for a guy. Suddenly, he’s under scrutiny as the friends put him through hilarious tests to see if he can handle their “high standards.”

An Affair At The End Of Time
Narrative • Comedy • USA • 2025 • 15 Minutes
Director: Chase Todd
Writer: Chase Todd, Phillip Hazen
Producer: Chase Todd, Phillip Hazen
Cast: Katherine Bokenkamp, Myles Valentine, Mercedes DeSilva
A man has second thoughts about the affair he’s been having on the day the world ends.

Kal-Haven
Narrative • Horror • USA • 2025 • 12 Minutes
Director: Kal Kociss
Writer: Andrew Bailes
Producer: Kyle Clark
Cast: Noah Smith, Courtney Mazeika, Andrew Bailes
A young man named Hunter is in search of food in a post-apocalyptic world. During his travels, he meets another scavenger with ambiguous intentions.

Chicagoland

Anhedonia
Narrative • Horror • USA • 2025 • 8 Minutes
Director: Aaron Hill
Writer: Aaron Hill
Producer: Tj Hill
Cast: Elle Laesch, Shelby Hill, Ryan Pickerill
Kiera is haunted by the memory of her sister, and the shame of causing her death.

Fragments Of A Crime
Narrative • Horror • USA • 2025 • 8 Minutes
Directors: Damon Rios, Dexter Blanchard, Jacob Goldberg
Writers: Damon Rios, Dexter Blanchard
Producers: Damon Rios, Dexter Blanchard
Cast: Joshua Klein, Richard Pike, Jacob Coggshall, Joaquin Carrig, Jacob Meyerson
A disgruntled detective recounts multiple versions of the same crime to a stranger in hopes of finding an answer to his mystery.

The Cancer Card
Narrative • Drama/Comedy • USA • 2025 • 14 Minutes
Director: Jimmy Rancich
Writer: Jimmy Rancich
Producer: Tanja Meyer
Cast: Dekin Walter, Evlis Garcia, Michael Oilar, Diana Simonzadeh, France Jean-Baptiste
A young cancer fighter seeks advice on managing his disease from a survivor, who shows him the only benefit of getting the disease.

Captain Of Industry
Narrative • Comedy • USA • 2020 • 18 Minutes
Director: Andrew Laudone
Writer: Andrew Laudone
Producer: David Ryzner, Sarah Sharp, Rob Stern
Cast: Buzz Leer, Simon Hedger, Ronny Stein, Charles W. Rhodes
A maniacal business tycoon devises a campaign of terror, and hopes to make a little money along the way.

Hair
Narrative • Comedy/Drama • USA • 2024 • 6 Minutes
Directors: Wendy Mateo, Lorena Diaz
Writers: Wendy Mateo, Lorena Diaz
Producer: Eugene Sun Park, Jason Matsumoto, Erica Duffy, Amy E. Powell
Cast: Miranda Gonzalez, Jessi Realzola, Claudia Quesada, Gwen La Roka
In Mari’s salon, it’s just another day where they spill the tea about life. But today Christina comes in late and through her hair mishaps they rally around her when the truth is revealed.

Tickets

World Premiere
Narrative • Drama • USA • 2025 • 105 Minutes
Director: Keenan Dailey 
Writer: Gertrude Namara
Cast: Diron Jones, Tisa Harriott, Derrica Kearney, Mathew Green
Producers: Paris “AJ” Adkins-Jackson, Kevin Lau
Filmmaker Q&A will follow the screening.

Brim is a trans-generational drama that weaves together a family’s story across the 20th and 21st centuries, exploring racial trauma, resilience, and legacy. Set against the backdrop of segregation in the 1940s American South, the film follows Leroy Payne and Rosetta Bishop as they confront systemic oppression and the erasure of Black identity. As the narrative moves into the 1990s, it delves into the devastating impact of the 1994 Crime Bill, focusing on George Mitchell, a character wrestling with his role in the evolving landscape of race and privilege. Brim poignantly examines how historical and modern racial tensions intersect with personal identity, capturing love, loss, and the enduring strength of the Black community in the face of adversity.

Director Keenan Dailey and Writer Trude Namara are both University of Illinois alumni. Producer Kevin Lau is a Champaign native, and most of the cast and crew are from central Illinois. The film was entirely shot in Champaign and Piatt counties with the assistance of Flyover Film Studios & Shatterglass Studios.

Champaign Movie Makers will have a booth at Urbana's Market at the Square in Downtown Urbana. Come say hi and help spread the word to recruit new filmmakers and film audiences.

Champaign Movie Makers will have a booth at Urbana's Market at the Square in Downtown Urbana. Come say hi and help spread the word to recruit new filmmakers and film audiences.

Champaign Movie Makers will have a booth at Urbana's Market at the Square in Downtown Urbana. Come say hi and help spread the word to recruit new filmmakers and film audiences.

Champaign Movie Makers will have a booth at Urbana's Market at the Square in Downtown Urbana. Come say hi and help spread the word to recruit new filmmakers and film audiences.

A monthly gather to meet other filmmakers in the area, discuss upcoming projects, find crew, or just general mingling.