Matt Hatleberg

Huckleberry Finn: A Close Place

Transposing Mark Twain's immortal anti-racist novel to 2017, "Huckleberry Finn: A Close Place" depicts the friendship that develops between a poor Missouri boy and an undocumented African immigrant as they drift down the Mississippi River on a makeshift raft in pursuit of freedom.

ADA

An A.I. therapy tool helps a lonely and depressed man confront the darkest parts of himself.

Huck & Jim

An unhoused Missouri teenager and an undocumented Mauritanian migrant drift down the Mississippi River together on a makeshift raft in pursuit of freedom in this contemporary retelling of Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."

Where's South?

Amidst strange encounters in her life and work, Helena, a Brazilian filmmaker living in Chicago, is struck by a compelling obvious question: Where’s south?

Trattoria

A couple takes a chance on an odd, beautiful restaurant, only to learn looks are deceiving.

Wilk

A woman and her ex-boyfriend reconnect at the vet after their dog gets sick, as a new boyfriend experiences jealousy. “WILK,” directed by Peg, is an experimental comedy with its own absurd cinematic language and esoteric scene-building. Joseph watches from the car as his girlfriend, Tallie, is consoled by her ex outside the vet (while Joseph’s car has a penis spray-painted on it). Later at home, Joseph still feels antsy about Tallie’s reconnection with her ex, as he’s offered a glass of ‘WILK’ (wine+milk) soon claimed by Tallie’s roommate, an eccentric music producer. Having learned what the titular WILK means, we can now cut to a boxing match between a milk mascot and a wine mascot while a hip hop track plays. Delivered as a medley of bizarre shifts and barely discernible story beats, the film is intriguingly chaotic and one-of-a-kind.

Bella and Bernie

Two 16 year old carefree confidantes, Bella and Bernie, tentatively explore independence and sexuality while trying to dodge the ever watchful eye of Mrs. Judge, Bella's mother. The evangelical Mrs. Judge has concerns over Bella's friendship with the vibrant Bernie, wary of Bernie's secret family history repeating itself in Bella. As Bella learns more about Bernie, and herself, she will realize that choice is fickle, sometimes coming down to those who make the choice and those who must live with the consequences.

What Rhymes With Magdalena?

On the night before a pivotal decision, an obsessive poet reconnects with her past loves in order to discover the pattern behind her failed relationships.