Louisville Film Society and Speed Cinema to Co-Host 2023 Short Film Slam

The Louisville Film Society and the Speed Art Museum will present the 2023 Short Film Slam on Thursday, May 18, showcasing the short films of varying genres by local filmmakers and directors.

The Louisville Film Society was established in 2007 and partners with different organizations like the Speed Art Museum and The Kentucky Center to support local filmmakers. The Speed Cinema shows a variety of films, including international, local and short films. Dean Otto is the museum’s Curator of Film, and has been since 2015. 

The Short Film Slam will show ten films, all under 15 minutes. 

More about the films:

• “A Craft Story: Emerson,” directed by Justin Skeens is a five minute film about Emerson Croft and their experience as a non-binary and queer person in Berea College Student Craft. Croft discusses their project creating non-gendered baby blankets. Skeens is a three-time Emmy winner and the director of digital storytelling at Berea College.

• “The Wake (El Velorio)” is written and directed by Julia Maddox, a Kentucky native currently living in New York City to pursue screenwriting and directing. The short film follows a day in the life of a man from Queens acknowledging the death of a past partner who died of COVID-19.

• “Harmony,” written and directed by Kerris Dorsey, is about two women, one an “anxious agoraphobe” and the other a “wünderkind wellness CEO” who meet for an interview that turns into something much bigger.

• Written and directed by Noah Griffin, “If the Trees Heard Us” is the story of distant siblings searching for their childhood home. Griffin is a filmmaker and Western Kentucky University alumni living in Nashville, TN.

• “Mooncheeze” is about an aspiring actor, Ben Winters, who auditions for a commercial. The catch is that no one thinks he should, including his close friend Ali. The film is written and directed by filmmaker and photographer Herschel Zahnd.

• “Necktie Cinema,” directed by animator and videomaker John Akre, follows one question: “What if neckties stopped trying to strangle us and showed us their movies instead?” No more explanation necessary.

• By director Abhishek Satham, “Permission” is the story of a married couple trying to cope with a recent loss by reigniting their love of and passion for tango. Satham is an engineer and filmmaker living in Indiana.

• Evan B. Peters is a local filmmaker who directed and wrote “The Server.” The film follows an artist navigating the service industry. It was shot at Twig & Leaf in the Highlands in October 2019.

• “Toast” is a comedy and horror film about a man named Tom who burns his toast. It’s directed by Travis Kane Price.

• Finally, Michael Fitzer directed and wrote the short film “Undead Survival.” A producer past their prime, a previous Special Forces agent and a network television crew begin a reality show in a world full of zombies and cannibals. 

The winning short film will receive $500. Comments and questions from the audience are welcome after each film. The showings will begin at 7 p.m. and tickets can be found here. Tickets are $12 for general admission or $8 for Speed and Louisville Film Society members.