Private Project

All Choked Up

A woman must decide whether to save her husband when he starts choking on a sandwich during lunch.

  • Allison Volk
    Director
  • Allison Volk
    Writer
  • Andrea Nordgren
    Producer
  • Siobhan Fallon Hogan
    Key Cast
    "Marsha"
    Men in Black, Forrest Gump, Rushed
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Dark comedy
  • Runtime:
    4 minutes 4 seconds
  • Production Budget:
    13,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Aspen Shorts Fest
    Aspen, Colorado
    United States
    April 11, 2023
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Palm Springs Shortfest
    Palm Springs, CA
    United States
    June 24, 2023
    California Premiere
    Official Selection
  • San Diego Comic Con
    San Diego, CA
    United States
    July 22, 2023
    San Diego Premiere
    WINNER: Best Comedy
  • Indy Shorts International Film Festival
    Indianapolis, IN
    United States
    July 22, 2023
    Midwest Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Flickers Rhode Island
    Providence, RI
    United States
    August 7, 2023
    East Coast Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Odense International Film Festival
    Odense
    Denmark
    August 28, 2023
    International Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Allison Volk

Allison Volk is a screenwriter, filmmaker and actress. Her short films have played at film festivals globally, including Aspen Shortsfest, Palm Springs Shortsfest, Odense International Film Festival, Edmonton International Film Festival, Flickers' Rhode Island, Comic Con San Diego, and many more.

Her feature film DEANY BEAN IS DEAD (a dark comedy, which Volk wrote, produced, and starred in) premiered in Hollywood, CA at the 2022 Dances with Films Festival, directed by Austrian filmmaker Mikael Kreuzriegler. It is now available on Amazon Prime.

Volk’s stage plays have been produced in New York and Los Angeles, including the comedy RITE OF SEYMOUR (premiered by Drive Theater Company); the comedy SONNETS, SONGS & SORRY, WILL’S BEEN DEAD 400 YEARS! (commissioned in 2016 by Shakespeare Orange County); and the one-act THE LAST TWO PEOPLE ON THE PLATFORM, which won the Denise Regan Wisenmeyer Award for Playwriting in 2010.

Volk is the creator of CURTIS & OTIS, a comedic narrative podcast released November, 2021 and available on all major podcast platforms.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I hope that I am not the only person in the world whose mind frequently wanders to the absurd and darkly comedic world of 'what if?' We're socially conditioned to be good and contentious people, but what if one day... we're not?

The implications of this have the potential of being hilarious. I think it's really important to explore these darker impulses, to expose how delusional it is to think that anyone is truly 'normal'. Being human is weird, and confusing, and we all run around pretending like we know what we're doing when no one really does.

I'm inspired by the humor of Lucille Ball, the lens through which the Coen Brothers view the world, and Hitchcock's willingness to examine the darkness under every rock. I hope that audiences will experience 'ALL CHOKED UP' as a relatable, hilarious glimpse into a moment where one woman chooses to be scathingly honest about her true feelings.

Thank you for watching. It is a real treat to have the opportunity to bring a cinematic vision to life, and I'm deeply grateful to everyone who was involved in breathing life into this project.