Short film "CHOKE" takes on censorship, loyalty and complicity

Short film "CHOKE" takes on censorship, loyalty and complicity

The new short film, "CHOKE," satirizes how quickly loyalty can make or break society.

The big picture: Chicago filmmaker Joelle Velez compares her 15-minute film to "an episode of Black Mirror if it were written by Dr. Seuss and set in Barbieland."

Driving the news: "CHOKE" premieres at 5:45pm Thursday at AMC NEWCITY 14 as part of this year's Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF).

  • The film screens again at noon on Oct. 24 at the Chicago History Museum.

    • Zoom in: The writer and co-director stars as Poppy Sanchez, a marketing executive for a "Very Nice Town" where she lives. Sanchez's latest campaign promotes the town's new loyalty test called the CHOKE, which can ban anyone's speech for 24 hours if they're a "bad apple."

    What they're saying: Velez says the film is about the threat of censorship, but also about complicity and humanity.

  • "We're exploring the ethical question: 'If you saw your friend or neighbor being brutalized, would you speak up?'" Velez tells Axios.
  • "And if not, what does that mean for you if, and potentially when, the same evil comes for you?"

    • Context: Velez and co-directors Kemi Mayomi and Cee Pham shot the short film in Albany Park, Humboldt Park, and the South Side with an entirely Chicago-based crew for about $15,000.

    State if play: "CHOKE" is one of more than 60 short films screening at CIFF, after it screened in Los Angeles earlier this year.

  • It screens as part of the "City & State Shorts: Journey Within" program, featuring all Chicago-based filmmakers.
  • Velez, Mayomi and Pham will attend the screening.

    • What's next: If "CHOKE" wins at the Chicago International Film Festival, it could qualify for submission to the Oscars.