Private Project

Cool for Five Seconds

When Colleen reunites with her estranged sister, things don’t go exactly as she planned.

  • Dani Wieder
    Director
    Dani is a director of visually and physically adventurous film and theater based in Chicago. She has directed plays across Chicago, and serves as the Literary Manager of Haven Chicago. Originally from California, Dani attended the University of Chicago, where she studied Theater and Performance, and Gender and Sexuality Studies. "Cool for Five Seconds" is her first short film. www.daniwieder.com
  • Calamity West
    Writer
    Calamity is a Chicago-based, award-winning, Kilroys-cited playwright. In 2018 Calamity had two world-premieres including IN THE CANYON at Jackalope Theatre Company and HINTER at Steep Theatre Company. In January 2018 her play ENGINES AND INSTRUMENTS OF FLIGHT: A FANTASIA IN THREE ACTS, originally commissioned at The Goodman Theatre, had its first New York reading at The Roundabout. Another of her plays, GREETINGS FROM MOSCOW! A LOVE STORY, is currently in development at TimeLine Theatre Company’s Playwrights Collective. Additional plays by Calamity West include: GIVE IT ALL BACK (2016, Kilroy-cited); ROLLING (2016); IBSEN IS DEAD (2014); THE PEACOCK (2013, Kilroys honorable mention); THE GACY PLAY (2012); and COMMON HATRED (2012). In 2014 Calamity was recipient of the 3Arts Award. She teaches playwriting at the University of Chicago and Webster University. She is a company member of Jackalope Theatre and an artistic associate of Sideshow Theatre Company.
  • Katherine Bourne Taylor
    Producer
    Katherine is an actor, producer and teaching artist living in Chicago. Recent credits include work with Red Theatre Company, The House Theater of Chicago, Route 66 Theatre, Raven Theatre, The Gift Theatre, and A Crew of Patches. She is on staff as an instructor with Black Box Acting. Before moving to Chicago, she spent seven years in Dallas, TX, where she was a cofounder and producer of Shakespeare in the Bar and TRIBE, for which she was named a 2016 Dallas Mastermind and awarded a Best of Big D win. She worked as an actor across the DFW metroplex, and is an ensemble member at Undermain Theatre. You can hear her voice through many anime characters (Overlord, Dance With Devils, etc) with Funimation Studios. Most recently, she filmed a role in the pilot of a series for HBO to be released in 2019, and helped to produce the upcoming film, Eat Your Heart Out. Katherine-Bourne.com.
  • Mary Tilden
    Producer
    Mary is an actor and comedian based in Chicago, Illinois. Recent credits include The Wolves (Goodman Theatre), Hookman (Steep Theatre), The Arrow (Neo-Futurists Theatre). She improvises at iO Chicago where she has a weekly show with her team Devil's Daughter. She is a proud company member and teaching artist with Barrel of Monkeys. Mary's recent film projects include the short films Chat Room (screened at Chicago Shortcut 100 International Film Festival) Moira Angela Darling (winner of SC Indie Grits Festival Young Grit Award) and Bookmarked (Assistant Director, Producer) as well as several collaborations as a writer and actor in comedy shorts with the iO Chicago Comedy network.
  • Dani Wieder
    Producer
  • Katherine Bourne Taylor
    Key Cast
    "Colleen"
  • Mary Tilden
    Key Cast
    "Eleanor"
  • Jason Chiu
    Director of Photography
    Jason is a DP currently residing in Chicago, IL. He most recently filmed the first season to a new Adult Swim series called "Joe Pera Talks with You". It released in Spring 2018 to critical acclaim. The LA Times "found art in the 11-minute episodes", Polygon called it "Adult Swim's best new show" and mentioned "each episode is shot beautifully", and Indiewire says it'll "make you happy to be alive". In addition, Jason has extensive DP experience on commercial and feature film projects. He shot Stephen Cone's "Henry Gamble's Birthday Party" which screened at the BAMCinemaFest, Maryland International Film Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival. He has DPed commercial projects for brands like Nissan, Samsung, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Feeding America, and Everytown for Gun Safety.
  • Dana Macel
    Production Designer
    Dana Macel is a props designer, scenic designer, and actor in the Chicago theatre scene. She graduated from Loyola with a degree in Theatre and a degree in Film and Digital Media production, but this is the first film project she has exclusively designed for. Dana is currently working with Dani and Calamity as the props designer for In the Canyon, opening at Jackalope Theatre this October. She is thrilled to be joining forces with them again on this exciting film!
  • Lindsay Rynne
    Editor
    As one who strives to weave together all parts of a story to create a coherent picture, Lindsay Rynne’s passion for editing dwells in these attempts to make meaningful connections in film. Her passion for making films was noticed early on by her high school teachers, and ever since then she has dedicated her life to helping others connect the dots in their stories. Following this path has led her to work for some of the most respected brands such as Nike, GrubHub, Jim Beam and on behalf of well-known Chicago agencies: Walton Isaacson, We Are Unlimited, and BBDO. Lindsay won AICE's Social Media Campaign in 2018 for her work on Nike+Chicago's "The Force Is Female" campaign. These experiences catapulted Lindsay into another dimension of filmmaking. Building upon the commercial work, she has enjoyed expanding her portfolio to include a wide array of mediums such as music videos, documentary-short form, narrative-short form, episodic web videos, experimental, and branded content. This diverse portfolio is built on Lindsay’s personable charm and keen attention to detail, qualities that are sure to make your next project succeed and speak to those who have yet to hear.
  • Lindsey Mazur
    Colourist
    Lindsey Mazur served as colourist on Cool For Five Seconds. In addition to her short film work, she has collaborated on branded content for Nike and Shinola, as well as documentaries and numerous music videos for likes of Post Animal and Jamila Woods. She's established strong relationships with folks in the editorial community, and greatly treasures working with creatives. She says collaborating in the suite together is the best part! Lindsey is an avid photographer, and sees it as an indispensable means of documenting her world travels.
  • Zach Scheitlin
    Audio Engineer
    Zach is a sound designer and post production mixer located in Chicago. Zach has worked on numerous films, video games, and commercials campaigns. Zach is especially proud of a feature length documentary, “42 Grams” which was distributed by Film Buff and debuted on Netflix in 2018. Zach also really enjoys being on set and recording location audio. Collaborating with other artists is his favorite part of the job. Zach enjoys giving every project that passes through his hands the care needed to make it sound great.
  • Travis Delgado
    Assistant Director
    Travis Delgado is happy to have worked with the cast and crew of “Cool For Five Seconds". Travis graduated from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi and now lives in Edgewater, Chicago. He is best known for playing Jurgis in Oracle Productions' "The Jungle" as well as The Foundling Father in "The America Play", which received a Jeff Nomination. He was also in the ensemble of Mary Zimmerman's World Premiere adaptation of "Treasure Island" at the Lookingglass Theatre. He’s done features for Chicago PD and Fire on NBC and is currently in a feature film called Two In The Bush at multiple film festivals in and out of the U.S. Travis would like to thank his mother, father, and brothers for their love and support.
  • Gabrielle Henderson
    Production Sound Mixer
    Gabrielle Henderson is a Chicago based musician and sound designer. She has worked as a production sound mixer for numerous indie films in the Chicago area and is currently pursuing a career as a jazz vocalist. She will graduate from DePaul University in 2020.
  • Rebekah Wilson
    First AC
    Rebekah (aka Reba) currently works at a commercial production company which consists of going to work every day to be creative and problem solve with friends. She also is a freelancer in design, camera department, and cinematography. Feel free to reach out to her with any hot tips for the best biking routes in Chicago. Bonus fact: She just read the book “Goodbye, Things” by Fumio Sasaki and has subsequently said "Goodbye, Things" to many of her things.
  • Cole Moore
    Gaffer
  • Michael Druyanoff
    Executive Producer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Dramedy
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 8, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Beloit International Film Festival
    Beloit, WI
    United States
    March 1, 2020
    World Premiere
    Best Illinois Short Film
  • Indie Grits Film Festival
    Columbia, South Carolina
    United States
    March 26, 2020
    Official Selection
  • New York City Independent Film Festival
    New York City
    United States
    May 10, 2020
    Finalist for Best Narrative Short
  • North Hollywood Cinefest
    Los Angeles
    United States
    April 9, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Ashland Independent Film Festival
    Ashland, Oregon
    United States
    April 16, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Mammoth Lakes Film Festival
    Mammoth Lakes, CA
    United States
    September 17, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Indie Shorts Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Finalist: Best Women's Short
  • Dumbo Film Festival
    Brooklyn, NY
    United States
    Semi Finalist: Best Short Film
  • New Filmmakers Los Angeles
    Los Angeles
    United States
    June 1, 2020
    Official Selection
  • deadCenter Film Festival
    Oklahoma City
    United States
    June 11, 2020
    Oklahoma Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Buffalo International Film Festival
    Buffalo
    United States
    October 8, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Midwest Film Festival
    Chicago
    United States
    October 17, 2020
    Chicago Premiere
    2020 Judges Choice for Female Filmmaker Night
  • Cinema Femme Short Film Festival
    Chicago
    United States
    August 6, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Adirondack Film Festival
    Glen Falls, NY
    October 15, 2020
  • Twin Cities Film Festival
    St. Louis Park, MN
    October 21, 2020
  • Bend Film Fest
    Bend, OR
    October 1, 2020
  • Ridgefield Independent Film Festival
    Ridgefield, CT
    United States
    October 14, 2020
    Connecticut Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Lake County Film Festival
    Lake County, WI
    United States
    November 5, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Best of the Midwest
    Chicago, IL
    United States
    January 14, 2021
    Grand Prize, Best Director
  • Tallgrass Film Festival
    Wichita, KA
    United States
    October 16, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Santa Monica Film Festival
    Santa Monica, CA
    United States
    Honorable Mention
Distribution Information
  • Omeleto
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet
Director Biography - Dani Wieder

Dani is a director of theater and film based in Chicago. Her work has been produced by theaters across Chicago such as Jackalope Theatre, Prop Thtr, and Haven Chicago. She has directed, assistant directed, produced, consulted on, and designed over 30 productions in the last four years. Dani became curious about filmmaking when she directed the theatrical version of "Cool for Five Seconds", and had felt the piece would translate well to film.

Dani also works as a creative consultant and experience designer for performances and galleries. Recent collaborators include Hebru Brantley's Nevermore Park, Haven Chicago, Jackalope Theater, Stage x Screen, and more.

www.daniwieder.com

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Five years ago I read a short play on New Play Exchange by Chicago playwright Calamity West about a meeting between estranged sisters. I was struck by the way the script portrayed the women with nuance and complexity - full of contradiction, like we all are. While the circumstances are simple, the script asks big questions: What does it mean to be sisters? And even more universally, how do we respond when the people we love grow and change in ways we might not understand? I was gripped by Calamity’s exploration of this relationship, and so teamed up with Mary and Katherine to bring it to life.

A sibling is so precious, and the chance to reconnect with them can seem like a fleeting dream as life speeds forward. This story shows that it is worth taking the time to stay at the table, and work through your differences.