Season 2, Episode 5: Behind every summer is a community that keeps Fire Island alive. This episode explores the history of the beloved Pines Pantry through the eyes of its iconic Pantry Girls, alongside the volunteer firefighters of The Pines and Cherry Grove who protect the island from fires, hurricanes, beach erosion, and an uncertain future.
Nothing Without a Company Launches Inaugural Film Festival in Chicago
The festival takes place Sunday, May 31, 2026 at Facets Film Forum with screenings at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM.
By: Josh Sharpe
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The nonprofit theatre Nothing Without a Company (NWaC) has launched its inaugural Not Without Company Film Festival, marking the official creation of the company’s new Film Department.
The festival takes place Sunday, May 31, 2026 at Facets Film Forum (1517 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL 60614), with screenings at 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM. Each screening includes approximately 60 minutes of short films followed by a 30-minute talkback with collaborating artists. Tickets are $25 and available now at NWaC’s website.
For almost two decades, NWaC has created immersive, site-specific theatre in Chicago. The launch of its Film Department expands this practice into screen-based storytelling while celebrating a decade of collaborative filmmaking. Proceeds from the festival will directly support the development of future NWaC film projects and festivals.
The program features nine short films created by Nothing Without a Comapany in collaboration with BearCat Productions and Rishi Productions, originally produced through the 48 Hour Film Project Chicago competition over the past decade. Selected films will screen in their original edited form, while others have been re-edited for festival presentation.
Featured films include Sweet (2015), Proximity (2016), The Box (2017), Something Different (2018), Redesign Your Life (2019), Green Time Machine (2021), Y2K (2022), Mom & Pop Shop (2023), and Queer Up the Details (2025).
Featured panelists appear after the two screenings. At the 10:00 AM screening, panelists include writer and producer Hannah Ii-Epstein; actor, makeup artist, producer, and assistant director Jill Sandmire; director, cinematographer, editor, and story collaborator Cameron Downing; and script supervisor and story team member Kevin Sparrow.
At the 12:00 PM screening, panelists include producer and director Anna Rose Ii-Epstein; editor and post-production artist Sandeep R. Pamulapati; actor, production assistant, and co-choreographer Ivori Skye; director of photography and script supervisor Brittany Alsot; and actor, production assistant, and story team member Phranque Wright.
The 48 Hour Film Project Chicago, which inspired the works in the program, is a timed filmmaking competition in which teams are given a genre, character, prop, and line of dialogue and have 48 hours to write, shoot, and edit a completed short film.
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