QUEER HYBRIDITY: Short Documentaries at the Edge is a special event exploring the boundaries of non-fiction and “hybrid” documentary forms through the screening of four short films by LGBTQ+ filmmakers, followed by a panel discussion, book-signing, and after-party in celebration of the release of Austin Bunn’s new book “Short Film Screenwriting.”

The short documentary is one of the most exciting, capacious, and accessible aspects of current filmmaking. As the documentary form evolves — mixing in scripted content, animation, auto-fiction, and fantasy — contemporary LGBTQ filmmakers blur the boundaries between truth and performance, history and drama, emotion and fact.

This evening brings together four directors (three local) for a wide-ranging conversation about the innovative hybrid documentary, which mixes theatre, photography, screenwriting, and art practice into the non-fiction form. These four short films showcase the range of approaches at the edge of the form.

Lineup

The Magic Hedge (Frédéric Moffet, 2016) – 9 min

A bird sanctuary located on a former Cold War Nike missile site on the north side of Chicago has an open secret: men seek fleeting sexual contacts within its trees and shrubberies. The video highlights the many contradictions of a site historically devoted to military surveillance and now designed to preserve and control the “wildlife.”

The Rabbit Always Dies (Oona Taper, 2025) – 8 min

An experimental documentary that reveals the complex history of pregnancy tests from the 1930s-60s which relied on the use of live frogs and rabbits. This work lives two parallel lives, as an 80-page Risograph printed artist book and a short film that incorporates Risograph animation and historical images.

Campfire (Austin Bunn, 2023) – 17 min

A hybrid documentary that follows a straight middle-aged man who journeys to a gay campground in rural Pennsylvania to find a long-lost love — and discovers the past is not done with him yet. (Reeling 2023)

Stormy and the Admirals (Dan Rybicky, 2020) – 9 min

A group of elderly feminists living in a senior apartment building in Chicago called The Admiral decide to support Stormy Daniels by going to see her strip at a gentlemen’s club – also called The Admiral. What does it mean to support, as Melania Trump calls Stormy Daniels, “a porn hooker” — and how in general are our attitudes towards a woman’s intelligence, sexuality, and occupation impacted by age, gender, class, and political affiliation?

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Chicago Filmmakers does not deny admission to those who do not have the ability to make a donation nor is any item purchase necessary. Please email coop [at] chicagofilmmakers.org to inquire about free admission.

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Tags: Andersonville, Austin Bunn, Chicago, Chicago Filmmakers, Dan Rybicky, Frédéric Moffet, Oona Taper, QUEER HYBRIDITY: SHORT DOCUMENTARIES AT THE EDGE