I watched three of the documentary short offerings from HollyShorts tonight. There are usually 4 or 5 such shorts queued up, but tonight there were seven. I still have some to go, and I’m still wondering how I can summon specific films for watching, like “Little Bug.”(Martin Freeman).
ERUCTATION
Kayla, of “Eructation.”First I watched the 7-minute short “Eructation,” about Kaley, who wants to set the world record for the loudest burp, (currently 107.3 decibels.)
Kayla gives us 4 sure-fire methods to help create gas to facilitate burping: consume cereal, soup, beer, sip through a straw and lay down for at least 4 minutes.Cinematographer Max Henderson captures Kayla’s husband, Eric, who is not amused by her obsession with eructation. Says Kayla: “I think he’s super-ready for me to be done. It’s hard on the marriage. I think he’s kind of jealous.”
In the course of the 7-minute film from Director Victoria Trow we learn that different household appliances have different degrees of loudness: Hairdryer- 87 decibels; Vacuum- 74 decibels; Blender – 95 decibels; Barking dog – 76 decibels; Lawn mower – 93 decibels; Leaf blower -105 decibels; Forest – 35 decibels.
Kayla does not break the world record for burping. Maybe she can go for farting next?
PLUMPED
This 12’11” Rolling Stone short gives credit to Kylie Jenner and 2013/2014 for giving insecure women permission to spend as much as $20,000 to improve their faces (in particular their lips) by having them injected with Botox in an attempt to “feel sexy.” One girl, pictured having a needle inserted into her lips, said it was painful, but added, “but it’s good pain.”
Ouch!
A MAN WHO TAKES PICTURES OF FLOWERS
A gorgeous film! Bravo!
Korean native Jung Myung Kim was the photographer who spent 40 years taking pictures of flowers in Korea. He described for the documentarian, who collated 6,000 hours of movie clip of flowers in Korea to make this gorgeous film, how he actually stole his first camera and then learned to operate it.
One surprising bit of information, for me, personally, was this:
Convallaria majalis) or Lily of the Valley is a highly toxic plant containing over 30 cardiac glycosides (like convallatoxin) and saponins. Every part of the plant—including the leaves, flowers, roots, berries, and even the water in a vase—is poisonous and can cause severe gastrointestinal and cardiac illness if ingested.
Yikes!
My parents had a flower bed of Lily of the Valley planted right outside the ground floor window of my bedroom. It was customary for me, on Saturday mornings, to climb out the window and wade through the bed of Lily of the Valley and disappear in the neighborhood, in an attempt to avoid my mother’s favorite early Saturday morning wake-up call to “pitch in” and begin cleaning the house.
Mom was a kindergarten teacher. She routinely roused me and my four-years-older sister Kay to help clean the house early on Saturday mornings. It was not high on our list of “favorite things to do.”
My sister generally weakly resisted Mom’s directions to “pitch in.” Kay probably evaded it using some health ploy, as that seems to have been her M.O.
I took more evasive action. I actually climbed out of the ground floor window, wading through the Lily-of-the-Valley plants, and took off. I used a similar strategy to avoid going to the dentist (Dr. Lowell Schrader), although that avoidance technique was launched from elementary school and never worked well, long-term. This technique might not be something that today’s youth could safely do, but in small town America then, it was not only safe, but savvy. Never knew I was risking life and limb by wading amongst the Lilies-of-the-Valley, however.
Let’s enjoy some of the gorgeous flowers that a
ppear in the 
short:
Iman Karram as Yara in “It’s Complicated,” screening at the HollyShorts Film Festival.
The 17’ 42” short “It’s Complicated”, executive produced by Zoe Saldana, is an Iman Karram one-woman show. Written, produced by and starring Iman Karram, It’s Complicated follows Yara, “a Palestinian-American screenwriter in Los Angeles, whose online Arabic lessons with Hana (Dina Shuhaiber), a poet and teacher living in Gaza, blossom into a profound friendship built on shared ambition, humor, and sisterhood. Mainly, we learn about Hana as she attempts to tutor Yara via Zoom, helping her to master speaking Arabic.”
CAST
Besides Iman Karram and Dina Schuhaiber as the pregnant tutor from afar, Liz Charky was the Director of Photography and Tarek Yamani contributed an original score. Darine Hotait co-wrote with Iman Karram. Amongst those thanked as supporters, in addition to Zoe Saldana, were Charlie Day, Alison Brie, Pedro Pascal, the Arab Film and Media Institute and the Islamic Scholarship Fund.
IMAN KARRAM
“Iman Karram is an Arab American actress, writer, and producer from Washington, D.C. …She spent her early years dancing competitively, interning on Capitol Hill, and performing in regional theater before earning degrees in Cultural Anthropology and Film at UCLA.
She recently starred opposite Michael Angarano and Michael Cera in the Tribeca-premiering feature “Sacramento”. Her project “Like The Tide”, was written, produced, and led by Iman. Celebrated for both her comedic instincts and her athletic background, recognized by LeBron James and the LA Rams, Iman brings a dynamic physicality and emotional intelligence to every role she takes on.”
Writer/Director/Actress Iman Karram of “It’s Complicated” at HollyShorts Film Festival.
The above 2 paragraphs, quoted from IMDBPRO, explain who Iman Karram is. I did not notice any “dynamic physicality” in her role as Yara. Yara’s conversations with the distant Hana, who is pregnant and awaiting the birth of a child, were not very dramatic, given Hana’s situation. We hear Yara attempting to master Arabic and cooking. While interesting, it seemed to skirt the very real life-and-death issues enveloping the Gaza Strip.
THE BACKDROP
With all the recent publicity involving Israel and Palestine and the Gaza Strip, a great deal of drama was omitted from this short that could have informed us about the ongoing Gaza Strip situation. That message was not driven home with any forcefulness. We see Iman cooking and chatting with Hana, but the short is largely lifeless regarding the visceral issues laid bare after the assault on Israel by 6,000 Hamas warriors on October 7, 2023, leading to the deaths of 1,200 Jewish civilians and the abduction of 251 hostages to Gaza (what has been dubbed “the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust.”)
THRUST/COUNTER-THRUST
That invasion of Israel by Hamas triggered the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike back at Gaza. There are estimates of 73,000 direct deaths, 463 famine death, and 10,000 presumed buried under rubble in the Gaza Strip, according to Wikipedia.
At least 173,900 Palestinian Arabs have been injured. Gaza now has the most child amputees, per capita, of any nation in the world, with more than 21,000 children disabled and 50% of casualties being women and children.
As of May, 2024, 84% of Gaza’s health centers had been destroyed or damaged, as had all 12 of Gaza’s universities. Eighty-five per cent of Gaza’s population were forcibly displaced and the government of South Africa instituted proceedings at the International Court of Justice alleging a violation of the Genocide Convention.
CONCLUSION
There was definitely an engrossing story that could have been told to add to the viewer’s knowledge of what is going on in the Gaza Strip.
This wasn’t it.
Nolan Gould of “The Liars of Black Mountain Road” at HollyShorts.
Nolan Gould, who played Luke Dunphy for 247 episodes of “Modern Family” between 2009 and 2020, appears in the HollyShorts 12’ 37” film opposite Millie Gibbons as Abbie. Gibbons played Kelly Neelan on “Coronation Street” for 172 episodes between 2019 and 2022. Millie also appeared in “Dr. Strange.”
Also mentioned in the credits of this Parker Groff directed short is Aidan Gould, Nathan’s brother, as Music Supervisor, with Ian Chase in charge of sound design. Perhaps the most remarkable music choice was the use of “Who Let the Dogs Out” by Anslem Douglas of Baba Men.
MUSIC
Gould removing the dead dog from the highway.
The choice of “Who Let the Dogs Out?” coincides nicely with the theme of the short, which involves a couple who accidentally hit and kill a dog on a highway (filmed near Los Angeles) and then attempt to do the right thing and contact the owner. There is a chip on the dog’s collar with the owner’s phone number and the couple does stop and notify the owner (Bill Welden) who drives out to recover the dead body of his pet.
TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES ?
But does Ethan (Nathan Gould) tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth in letting the owner know how his pet died? That is Abbie’s (Millie Gibbons) repeated question for Ethan. She feels it incumbent to tell the bereaved owner the whole truth of the tragedy. (A second song used is “There Is So Much Pain in the World,” performed by Touching Ice, but the tune that burrows its way into your consciousness is “Who Let the Dogs Out?”)
Who, indeed?
Millie Gibbons with Nolan Gould in “The Liars of Black Mountain Road” at HollyShorts Film Festival.
We never learn the answer to that question. You can draw your own conclusions as to which member of this couple—-Ethan or Abbie—is the most truthful and honest.
It was fun to see Nolan Gould as a much-older version of Luke Dunphy, although his remark on a talk show interview that he is a member of MENSA defies believability based on past performances as the youngest male “Modern Family” member. We can assume that he is such a good actor that he portrayed a dim bulb beautifully.
As always, smart to have a car be the “set” for this small slice of life, which has us pondering issues about truth and transparency that are germane with what’s going on in today’s world—especially the political world.
Michael Keaton in “Sweetwater,” a HollyShorts offering.
Michael Keaton directed and starred in a 20’ 52” Holly Shorts short entitled “Sweetwater” that also featured veteran actress Kyra Sedgewick. It was a stroll down memory lane into the past for main character Robert (Bobby), who is returning to the home once occupied by his now-deceased mother, a former Hollywood singer/actress.
The mysterious gift-giver of what appears to be a black 8-ball that Michael Keaton’s character (Robert/Bobby) rolls across the floor of his mother’s house after entering summons an apparition of Mom during life. The disembodied voice says it is “a token of appreciation” and “something that your incredible mother deserved.” The gift allows Robert (Keaton) to interact with Mom one more time, from beyond the grave—but not in a spooky or scary fashion.
DENOUEMENT
Michael Keaton’s character of Robert/Bobby is the son of the dead woman who is now able to show up and give him, one last time, a tour of the house where she lived during life with her Teddy Bear of a husband for 42 years.
The interesting thing, for me, was seeing Michael Keaton again, credited as Michael Keaton Douglas. The 75-year-old has not been as present on our movie screens since his Oscar-nod in “Birdman” in 2014, 12 years ago. Keaton’s real name is and was Michael Douglas; he merely adopted Keaton to cut down on the confusion with the other Michael Douglas and has never legally changed his name.
FAMILY CONNECTIONS
Michael Keaton (5’10”) (Douglas) and 6’3″son Sean Douglas.
The script was written by Sean Douglas, who also composed the music. Cinematography was by Christopher Ripley. The special effects were as good as those used on the TV show “Ghosts,” a UK import. In that series, a couple inherits a house that they hope to turn into a bed-and-breakfast,only to learn that it is inhabited by ghosts. One of the new owners develops the ability to see the ghosts, which leads to humorous situations.
Here, humor is missing, conflict is missing, and it’s as if Jackie Kennedy rose from the dead to take us on another of her tours of the White House. It was kind of an odd dispirited tour when Jackie was alive (yes, I’m old enough to remember it) with Jackie speaking in that Marilyn Monroe-like Little Girl voice. If Jackie O. had led us on that tour as a spectre or a wraith it would have been even stranger , but not necessarily any more engrossing or entertaining. Just….odder.
This short led me to think that, like “Chop Cheese” that featured Christopher Meloni helping launch his daughter Sophia’s directorial career, Michael Keaton (Douglas) is trying to help a family member (son Sean) get a start on a larger career in Hollywood. Or maybe it marks a new chapter for the 75-year-old Oscar-nominated Keaton himself, who is already a producer. He’s been somewhat quiescent since his 2014 Oscar-nomination for “Birdman,” (although he did suit up for “The Flash” in 2023 and was in “Morbius” in 2022), so maybe he’s going in a new direction?
SEAN DOUGLAS
Sean Douglas Michael’s son, is the 43-year-old father of two (married in 2014), who attended Washington University in St. Louis. He has already established a strong career as a songwriter. A Grammy Award-nominee,[5] he co-wrote Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man“, which won the ACM Award for Single of the Year,[6] the Billboard Music Award for Top Country Song,[7] the CMA Award for Single of the Year[8] and the BMI Award for Song of the Year.[9] The song, released in 2016, was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Song.[10] Douglas also worked on Lizzo’s “Like A Girl” and “Soulmate” from her Grammy-winning album Cuz I Love You.
The music is solid and Kyra Sedgewick gets to sing, which she does well.
Kyra Sedgewick in the HollyShorts film “Sweetwater,” directed by Michael Keaton Douglas.
CONFLICT
For me—a genre fiction writer and University of Iowa grad—there should be some conflict in a story—even a short one— to hold the reader’s interest. Here there is none. The deceased Mom seems to have had a lovely life and a great career and takes us on a pleasant tour of her former home. Michael Keaton just stands around or walks around the now-empty house. (Jackie Kennedy Onassis does not chime in with commentary, which would have been an interesting, if inexplicable, turn the plot might have taken just to keep us interested.) The film was the equivalent of sitting down with your grandmother to leaf through her photo albums, which, as we all know, is the favorite thing for Generation Z movie-goers—who are rushing off to see “Obsession” at the theater—to do.
With old pros like these two involved, the end product is okay. But, for me, it was not riveting storytelling and I’m not sure that a longer version of this would attract today’s audiences.
Executive-produced projects from Zoe Saldaña, Margot Robbie, Barry Keoghan, Idris and Sabrina Elba, Serena Williams and more also headline the 2026 programme for HollyShorts, on now..
The HollyShorts Film Festival now in its 22nd edition, continues its legacy as one of the world’s premier showcases for short-form cinema. Taking place August 13–23, 2026, at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatres and venues throughout Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, the Oscar®-qualifying festival will present 430 films selected from thousands of submissions from filmmakers around the globe.
Martin Freeman in Little Bug
Among this year’s headline premieres is Renée Zellweger’s directorial debut They, while Martin Freeman stars in Little Bug, the story of Laika, the first dog to orbit Earth aboard a Soviet space mission. Michael Keaton directs and stars opposite Kyra Sedgwick in Sweetwater, while Alexandra Shipp makes her directorial debut with For Niko, in which she also stars. Vincent Cassel leads the sports drama The Colosseum, and Michael Caine lends his voice to the poetic wartime drama Bobby.
Additional marquee selections include Selah, Lara Everly’s comedy-drama starring Milana Vayntrub; It’s Complicated, written by and starring Iman Karram and executive produced by Zoe Saldaña; and The Sisters of Scott County, featuring Kaitlyn Dever and Ava Phillippe. Michael Gandolfini and Christopher Meloni lead Sophia Meloni’s coming-of-age comedy Chop Cheese, while Lara Condor, Owen Teague and Kaia Gerber star in Get Her Back!, written by acclaimed New York playwright Leah Nanako Winkler and executive produced by Margot Robbie.
Other featured titles include Renée Marie Petropoulos’ Souvenir; See You, Soon, starring Asante Black and Isaiah John; Gregory Kasunich’s Meeting Your Maker, starring Jonathan Kite; Callum Adams’ Townies (or, My Little Town), starring Maren Lord and Michel Gil; and Rachel Olson’s Homebodies, starring Sam Richardson and Martha Kelly.
Other notable live-action shorts include the Jordan Peele-produced horror Spilled Milk, directed by Jared Leaf and starring J. Alphonse Nicholson and Kid Cudi; Charlie Dennis’ The Pigs Underneath, executive produced by Jordan Peele; Alanna Longo’s Am I a Bad Person?; the comedy-horror FruitHead, starring Bradley Whitford; Emily Alpren and Marchelle Bradanini’s Floored, starring Mara Wilson; Hazart’s Stay for the Q+A, starring Jim Cummings; Kendra Jo’s Please Return Your Cart, starring Russell Hornsby and Kimrie Lewis; Aristides Mantilla’s In the Still of the Night, starring Academy Award winner Yalitza Aparicio; and Nell Riley’s Missed, starring Anna Camp.
Dame Judi Dench in Joke
Among the standout British entries is Joke, directed by Bob Cryer, son of legendary comedian Barry Cryer, featuring an all-star cast including Dame Judi Dench, Stephen Fry and Alison Steadman. Pippa Lore Feldberg Collins’ Gobstopper, starring Mia McKenna-Bruce and Annabel Scholey, is executive produced by Barry Keoghan and Simon Curtis, while BRUVVAS, directed by and starring Katie McGuinness, features Ben Whishaw. Also screening is Darius Norowzian’s Fox, starring Todd Von Joel and Kierston Wareing. Zak Jarvis’ Signal starring Emmy award winner, 2 x BAFTA nominee Christopher Eccleston as Ray, a railway Signalman whose routine night shift turns into a race to save a life after spotting Billy – a distressed young man trespassing on the tracks, played by BAFTA winner Jack Rowan.
Other notable British selections include David Ledger’s sock-puppet comedy Odd Socks, starring Sandi Toksvig and Paterson Joseph; Alex Lanipekun’s Echoes, featuring Ashley Walters, Nathalie Emmanuel and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and executive produced by Nicholas Pinnock; Sai Karan Talwar’s I Am the Prize, starring Russell Tovey; Still Life, starring Ophelia Lovibond; How to Hide It, executive produced by Idris and Sabrina Elba; Kat Butterfield and Daniel Audritt’s Life Goes On, starring David Bradley; and Catherine Joy White’s documentary Swim Sistas, narrated by Naomie Harris, exploring the relationship between Black women and swimming.
The documentary programme includes The Revolution Against Death from Oscar-nominated director Joshua Oppenheimer; Daniel Straub’s A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil; and Victoria Trow’s Eructation, following the woman attempting to break the world record for the loudest burp.
Animation highlights include Pigeons, directed by Amos Sussigan and featuring the voice of Andy Serkis, and Stephen P. Neary’s Sundance-winning Living with a Visionary, narrated by James Cromwell. Natasha Lyonne, Yara Shahidi and Daveed Diggs lend their voices to ChikaBOOM!, while Oscar-nominated Butterfly and Academy Award-winning The Girl Who Cried Pearls further strengthen the animated programme. Also screening is Apart, directed by Pola Maneli and written by Academy Award winner Spike Lee, a moving story of two boys whose friendship is tested during apartheid in South Africa. Rounding out the programme is Send Nudes, directed by Student Academy Award nominee David Sick.
The festival’s music video programme includes Gorillaz’s The Mountain, The Moon Cave & The Sad God and Jack White’s Archbishop Harold Holmes, starring John C. Reilly.
Led by Emmy Award-winning producer Jessica Badawi since its launch in 2024, HollyShorts’ Sports programme returns with another exceptional lineup. Serena Williams executive produces Zina, a documentary chronicling the remarkable life and career of tennis pioneer Zina Garrison, while four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry joins two-time Academy Award® winner Ben Proudfoot to co-direct The Baddest Speechwriter of All, exploring the extraordinary life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s trusted lawyer and speechwriter, Clarence B. Jones. Also featured is Grenadye Alaso! 1974–2026, directed by Leo Volcy and executive produced by Grammy Award-winning Haitian producer and DJ Michael Brun alongside U.S. soccer legend Jozy Altidore, celebrating Haiti’s return to the FIFA World Cup after 52 years.
As one of the world’s leading Oscar®-qualifying short film festivals, HollyShorts offers Academy Award® qualification in four categories: Best Short Film Grand Prize, Best Live-Action Short, Best Documentary Short and Best Animated Short, making it a key launchpad for filmmakers seeking recognition on the international stage.
Expanding beyond this year’s official selection, HollyShorts is launching two global film fund initiatives with a combined $40,000 in prizes.
The HollyShorts Film Festival Short Film Fund will award one filmmaker a $25,000 prize package, including a $10,000 production grant from IMGN, a Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K, one-to-one mentorship from acclaimed filmmakers and industry executives, Kodak production support for both the winner and runner-up, and an official world premiere at the 2027 HollyShorts Film Festival.
The festival is also introducing the HollyShorts & Film.io Audience-Validated Competition, presented in partnership with Film.io Studios and the Film.io platform. Open to completed short films, the initiative provides filmmakers with an audience-driven discovery platform where they can build momentum, compete for $15,000 in cash awards, and position future projects for financing opportunities.
Celebrating more than two decades of championing emerging talent and bold storytelling, the HollyShorts Film Festival continues to be a vital force in discovering the next generation of filmmakers from around the world.
Luca Rickman,Dante.
“Chop Cheese” was directed by 25-year-old Sophia Meloni from a story idea from her 3-years younger brother Dante Meloni. There is a brief appearance near the end of the 15-minute short from Dad Christopher Meloni, familiar to fans of “Special Victims Unit” as Detective Stabler, who appeared opposite Mariska Hargitay in that role from 1999 until 2011.
Mariska Hargitay, godmother to Meloni’s son (Dante) and daughter (Sophia), is credited for her contribution at film’s end.
The short opens with three teen-aged boys entering a bodega to order chop cheese sandwiches from the old-timer manning the grill, Enzio (Mark Lake). Chop Cheese, spicey mayo seems to be the favorite for all three boys. They are en route to their own New York homes via the subway. One boy takes Train One. We learn that Luca’s character, Dante, has two moms and lives in the West Village.
The grizzled cook (Mark Lake as Enzio ) represents a sort of male model for Dante. He is familiar to the boy and always calls the young man “Boss.” Dante compliments the chef at the Village Gourmet Deli saying, “You’re the man.”
Enzio replies that he doesn’t own the grill; he just works there.
Mark Lake as Enzio the cook.
MORAL
When Mom Isabel Gillie notices that Dante’s purchases are mounting up, she insists that he get a job. Veteran character actor Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. (“The Wire”) makes an appearance here, as Dante’s co-worker, delivering Coca Cola and other food supplies, set in a large warehouse.
Upon returning to the Village Gourmet Deli, late in the short, Dante encounters two strangers behind the grill, played by Michael Gandolfini (son of James Gandolfini) and Christopher Meloni. Dante asks about the missing cook.
Enzio has left. This underscores the film’s main message, “People move on. Things change.”
At one point in the dialogue the Bodega chef had told the teenager, “It’s time to move on.”
Dante responded, “People move on.” Mark Lake, the grizzled short order cook said, “That they do, kid, or they don’t.”
CONCLUSION
I recently read a college application letter from a 17-year-old who commented that the normal routines of her life will change dramatically with her looming graduation from high school and subsequent entrance to college. It is true that young people sometimes fail to realize that there will be drastic changes to their lives as they grow up . In this short, we see Dante encountering that very fact of maturity, as represented by Enzio, the short order cook, who has simply left his long-time post and drifted out of Dante’s life.
The only constant in life is change; Dante is just realizing this as he matures into adulthood.
As the famous line from “The Outsiders” put it, “Nothing gold can stay.”
Steff (Sarah Rich) practicing her serve as “Fault” opens. (Robert E. Newman photo).
In slightly less than 15 minutes Writer/Director Misha Calvert of “Fault” takes us into the history of two sisters, tennis prodigies, who were both molested by the same male coach.
The successful younger sister, Steff (Sarah Rich), is still under the control of the never onscreen male voice, who is warning Steff against listening to her older sister, Gigi (Coco Jourdana).
Beginning
Sarah Rich as Steff in Misha Calvert’s “Fault” at the HollyShorts Film Festival. (Photo by Robert E. Newman, Director of Photography).
We see Steff practicing serving on her own private tennis court, adjacent to a fantastic mansion-like home. The sets and set decorations are outstanding, as is the music, with an original score by Stuart Michael Thomas and featuring the original song “I’m Gonna’ Haunt You,” sung by Fabienne Delso of Damaged Good Records.
End
Fifteen minutes isn’t much time to tell a story as complicated as Coco Jourdana’s. The screaming ending for the fifteen minutes of furious charge and counter-charge probably seemed like a good idea at the time.
Gigi (Coco Jourdana) arrived at her sister’s home primed for confrontation. At the door, sister Steff says, “I only have an hour.” Gigi responds, “I drove for four.” (Photo by Director of Photography Robert E. Newman).
After all, where else can you take a plot this complex in 14 minutes and 25 seconds? The real interesting story here is the backstory, which is supposedly based on actual events in the life of co-star Coco Jourdana (Gigi).
With the Foo Fighters performing at Soldier Field on Saturday night, August 8th, six of us were hunkered down in the South Loop, doing tourist-y things. After all, the nice African American lady at the DMV told me I should always celebrate my birthday all month long. And don’t I usually do what I’m told? (Don’t answer that.)
The son (Scott) and wife (Jessica) and the two gorgeous 17-year-old granddaughters (Ava & Elise) arrived on Wednesday and the games began with the Cubs fans attending a game at Wrigley Field opposite the Toronto Blue Jays. The game was described to me as being kind of boring until the 9th inning, when the Cubs pulled a win out of the fire when Alex Bergman hit a home run in the 9th inning to tie the game. A player whose nickname sounds like a toxic chemical (PCA) scored in the 11th inning to bring home the win. I was thrilled to hear that the Cubbies won, but I did not want to sit on a hard plank in the sun with no back rest for what turned out to be something like 5 hours.
I headed out for the much-advertised duck drop, taking the subway with the 5 Cubs fans and exiting near the site, which happened to be right next door to the futuristic Apple store.
The duck drop featured 90,000 ducks dropped into the Chicago River. You could sponsor a duck for $10, which I did. I tried to get a picture of the actual drop, which was impossible with 40,000 to 60,000 people all shooting cell phone video at the same time. My duck did not win, but I enjoyed the festive atmosphere and will provide some photos to prove how crowded this Special Olympics fundraiser was.
I was given a free can of an energy drink called Zero, and, as the ducks were dropped into the river, I went down one level and learned that an architecture cruise was going to be embarking at 1:30 p.m. It was still possible to secure a ticket, so I did. Some of the architecture cruise shots will follow.
I also contributed to the Ukrainian Defense Fund, purchasing an old-fashioned newspaper with my photo on it, which reminded me of all of the fake/phoney magazines and newspapers that DJT has used over the years.
After the cruise ended an hour and a half later, I took the bus back to the South Loop, which cost $2.50 and waited for the baseball fans to return.
That night we decided to walk to Flo & Santo’s for dinner outside, with music provided by a guitarist who sang. The only snag was that my husband’s pizza never arrived. At all. Everyone else was served their food, but poor Craig ended up having to take his pizza home in a box. There was an adjustment to the bill for “food never arrived;” he took the omission with good humor.
Friday night was my deferred birthday dinner at a mystery site. I had asked the son and heir to “surprise me.” He certainly did, finding out that we could dine at the Metropolitan Club atop the Willis Tower (108 stories up), but only on Friday nights. It is a private club the rest of the time. (Pictures to follow). We had one entire room to ourselves and a very friendly waiter, who urged the celebrants in the room to sing Happy Birthday with gusto. Since we were the only ones in the room, it wasn’t hard to get everyone to sing.
I selected the lobster bisque soup, a 7 oz. filet, and mashed potatoes which my husband and I shared. The bill was at least $600, but I’m not supposed to inquire about that, as it was my birthday dinner and very impressive,—although Lake Point Tower and the Signature Room atop the Hancock Building, pictured in previous posts, were pretty spectacular sites, too—both of them now closed.
View from the 108th floor of the Willis (Sears) Tower.
The security to ascend to the Willis (or Sears) Tower that has the record as almost the tallest U.S. building is daunting. We each had to present our drivers’ licenses and go through metal detectors. It took two elevators to get to the right floor. The other rooms on that floor were interesting. One had a gigantic video wall where people were driving golf balls at the screen. There was a photo booth that gave us free photos taken at the top. A truly breathtaking view of the city spread out before us from our window and 2 rather large spiders on the exterior of the window. The headlights of cars wending their way on the ground below looked like diamonds, sparkling and moving at ground level, with never a break in the line of white lights.
During the day on Friday, before the dining experience, the girls went shopping for a while, Jessica met up with her cousin and family and we stopped at the Obama Library Building for forty minutes trying to find out how my two Obama books might be included in the display of over 32,000 items from Obama’s 2008 campaign. My reporting on his run that year for Associated Content meant that Yahoo declared me the Content Producer of the Year for Politics. I’d like the library to at least have a record of all of Obama’s rally stops in Iowa. It was Iowa that gave him his “ticket to ride” back in 2008. I was able to find out from Jade Jewell, a better e-mail address to use. I apparently need to submit my two volumes to the Chicago Public Library, as well.
Ducky Derby and me.
After the Obama Library stop, we hit the Museum of Science and Industry, for the Anne Frank tour and Spiderman. After walking around at the Obama Center for 40 minutes, there was a lot more to see. (I counted 54 steps down for one level, which, fortunately, were steps going down, not up). Our parking was comped in the facility as we left by showing a QR code.
We went off Lake Shore Drive and cruised by the 31st Street Beach, where a family photo taken of Grandpa Craig with the girls lying on his back when little is a favorite. Unfortunately, there was an “officer down” situation at that exit.
We left for dinner (7 p.m.) at 6:30 p.m. Getting there by Uber went well, but getting home af did not go well when our driver knew nothing about driving in the city and we had to instruct him on how to get back to Michigan Avenue. Fortunately, the son and wife had better instincts than our non-English speaking driver.
Apple store.
The final night (Saturday) the younger members of the group trekked over to Soldier Field to hear Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters. Grohl said it was their biggest concert appearance ever in Chicago.
Today, it Is raining, so the Navy Pier trip has been scrubbed and, instead, we are coping with potential tornadoes and flooding across the Midwest.
(L to R) Scott, Craig, Elise, Connie, Ava & Jessica.
Same architect as Marina Towers.
Remember Spidergirl?
HollyShorts 2026 Champions Authentic LGBTQ+ Voices with Diverse Short Film Line-Up
Tanzyn Crawford and Emily Grant in Souvenir
The Oscar® and BAFTA-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival returns for its 22nd edition from August 13–23, 2026, at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, presenting an outstanding LGBTQIA+ programme that celebrates the breadth and diversity of queer storytelling.
Holly Shorts Film Festival (August 13-23), a qualifying festival for the Oscars, is gearing up with some 430 short film offerings.
Justin H. Min stars in Callback in which a seemingly joyful career breakthrough throws a couple into emotional turmoil, while (0,∞) features Brandon Wilson, Alex Blue Davis, Marianne Rendón and Cheech Manohar in a heartfelt story about two men navigating the surprisingly emotional process of applying for a mortgage together. Renée Marie Petropoulos offers an intimate portrait of teenage love and consent in her SXSW-winning short Souvenir starring Tanzyn Crawford and Emily Grant, and Gallina examines childhood friendship and belonging through the eyes of a young boy confronted with impossible choices.
Carlton Daniel´s FLY follows an ambitious ballet dancer whose rivalry blossoms into something deeper during auditions for a coveted apprenticeship, while It Comes in Waves captures a young man’s quiet awakening over one transformative summer. HIGH VOLTAGE explores the blurred line between friendship and first love, and Hummingbird follows a sheltered Catholic schoolgirl who risks everything for one unforgettable night with her openly queer classmate. Delay centres on a gay Chinese father whose journey to attend his son’s wedding takes an unexpected turn, while Diego explores sexuality, disability and masculinity within a close-knit Romani family.
Horror titles include Camp Oleander, transforming the conversion camp narrative into an unsettling folk horror, while Barrett Carroll makes his directorial debut with Eat, blending queer desire with visceral body horror after two strangers connect through a kink app. The Beard imagines a chilling near-future America where being queer has become a felony, and In The Flesh delivers dark psychological horror through the story of a seemingly perfect housewife harbouring dangerous obsessions. Method Cowboy offers a razor-sharp satire of Hollywood and performative identity as a struggling actor pretends to be gay to land the role of a lifetime, while Scissors reinvents the slasher movie with a queer twist, turning the hunter into the hunted.
Among the Animation selection are The Lovers, which reimagines Filipino mythology through the story of a seafood chef drawn into a forbidden romance with a mythical sirena, while Addicted To It delivers a fast-paced and inventive satire of smartphone addiction.
Santiago Reyes and Luis Selgas in Save the Date
Other LGBTQ+ highlights include PANGEA, offering a lyrical meditation on love, memory and artistic reinvention as a woman spends one final day trying to revive both her former lover’s creativity and their shared past. The Late in Life Guide to Modern Day Lesbianism affectionately spoofs 1990s corporate training videos with a hilarious introduction to contemporary lesbian culture, while Betty St. Clair follows a Chinese American Drag Queen as she prepares for a high-stakes performance. Olivia Scott Welch and Savy Jackson stars in Audrey Cicerello´s Grown, while Ken Barnett stars in Eyal Resh´s Save the Date about an engaged couple trying to capture the perfect ´Save the Date´ photo.
Founded in 2005, HollyShorts has become one of the world’s leading showcases for short-form filmmaking, championing emerging talent while presenting work from acclaimed filmmakers across every genre. The festival continues to provide an important platform for LGBTQIA+ filmmakers whose work challenges conventions, celebrates authenticity and expands the possibilities of short-form storytelling.
Holly Shorts Film Festival (August 13-23), a qualifying festival for the Oscars, is gearing up with some 430 short film offerings.
“The Colisseum” is a 12 minute 19 second basketball short from France, directed by Nabil Kechouhen and starring Vincent Cassel as the coach and Sammy Baroun as star player Mehdi. It is a climactic game for the French team in this Holly Shorts offering. Star player Mehdi is having an off night for personal reasons, suggests the dialogue.
EMOTIONAL ISSUES
References are made to Mehdi’s missing his Mom and long-absent father in the stands. The coach seems quite disgusted by his team’s failure to play “ensemble,” i.e., together, as a unit. Some of the players seem to be showboating for NBA Scouts in the stands.
Coach Cassel is quite pissed off at his team. His demeanor is a characteristic Cassel tough guy look. As he told IMDB, “I’m a little angry in life.” Some interesting camera angles (looking down through the hoop as the ball drops, for example) as the teams each attempt to pull ahead and win the game.
PERSONAL ASIDES
Can Mehdi make the shots and win the game?
The power couple marriage between Cassel and Italian star Monica Bellucci collapsed after 14 years and 2 daughters. Cassel just had his fourth child with a young model 31 years his junior, so looking up previous credits (“The Crimson Rivers,” 2000, with Jean Reno; dubbed voice of Hugh Grant in “Four Weddings and a Funeral”) proved to be even more dramatic than this 12-minute basketball short, which culminates with the team star (Mehdi) at the line with the chance to win the game via free throws.
CONCLUSION
All-in-all, this offering reminded me of the lengthier Miles Teller vehicle “Whiplash.” It also provided me with the opportunity to enjoy a spirited debate about famous men dumping beautiful women their own age for younger models (some pro; some con) as I refreshed my memory of the career of its 70-year-old star, Vincent Cassel.
Rapprochement?
Viva La France!