Podtalk: Chicago Short Film ‘The Orchestra’ at 2019 Cinepocalypse on June 16, 2019

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CHICAGO – As the 2019 Cinepocalypse Film Fest rolls on through June 20th, short films take center stage. On Sunday, June 16th (9:30pm), the “Shorts Block 1: Shadows Within” takes the screen at the historic Music Box Theatre. Chicago is represented in this block through “The Orchestra,” written and directed by Curtis J. Matzke. For more information and tickets, click here.

Gillian Butcher in ‘The Orchestra,’ Directed by Curtis J. Matzke
Photo credit: CinepocalypseGenreFest.com



“The Orchestra” begins with a woman (Gillian Butcher) entering an empty performance hall. She takes out a clarinet, and begins to play, but there is an unsettling feeling in the air, and she can’t quite find the source. The film is written, directed and produced by Curtis J. Matzke, who is also the founder of the media company Unfinished Films. His work on various short films has screened at the Austin Film Festival, the Chicago International Film Festival and the Cinequest Film & VR Festival. In 2019, he developed The Chicago Cinema Collective, to bring together the Chicago film scene.

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Director Curtis J. Matzke talks “The Orchestra,” its genesis, themes and production.

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com