SAWBUCK
productions
JUMP/CUT ETHNOGRAPHIC FILM FESTIVAL
DePaul University
19 March 2025
6-8 p.m.
Schmitt Academic Center (SAC), Room 254
2320 N Kenmore Ave
Chicago, IL
The 16th annual Jump/Cut Film Festival features 13 short films–all of them produced by DePaul students in the course “Ethnographic Documentary Film Production,” taught by Dr. Greg Scott, professor of sociology. The Faculty Scholarship Collaborative, the Department of Sociology, and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences all provided the resources and infrastructure within which the students created these important scholarly works of ethnographic film. Special thanks to Nandhini Gulasingam and Tracey Lewis-Elligan for their ongoing support of this initiative.
THE FILMS
DISRUPTED COMMUTE
by Sofia Sotarello
Disrupted Commute is an observational ethnographic documentary that delves into the intricate social dynamics of public transit passengers. Captured through an unobtrusive lens, this film seeks to understand how individuals respond to the subtle disturbance of their communal social norms when faced with the presence of a camera. The documentary unfolds in three distinct segments, each highlighting a different response to the act of being observed or interacting with the space. In the first segment, the camera captures riders who are entirely disengaged from their surroundings—immersed in their phones, lost in music, or absorbed in books. The second segment focuses on those aware of the camera’s presence. Reactions vary from fleeting acknowledgment and nervous glances to avoidance and discomfort. This portion reveals the subtle tension between public performance and private experience within communal spaces. The final segment highlights those actively engaging with the camera and/or their environment. These individuals reclaim their agency within the space, turning the camera on the filmmaker, interacting with fellow passengers, or creatively using the public setting as a platform for self-expression. The film immerses viewers in the sensory experience of Chicago's public transit system. With minimal comprehensible dialogue, the focus remains on body language, gestures, and subtle social cues that define the unwritten norms of commuter behavior. The film visually explores how individuals navigate shared spaces, adhere to unspoken conventions, and respond when these norms are momentarily disrupted. It invites viewers to reflect on the delicate balance between personal space and communal interaction in the bustling urban environment.
IN 5, 4, 3, 2
by Reese Castro
“In 5, 4, 3, 2” is a short ethnographic film that follows local, independent news studio Chicago Access News Television (a.k.a CAN TV) as they tape their news programs. The film provides a behind-the-scenes look at all the moving pieces involved in news production, with a focus on the three main roles: hosts, studio managers, and master control. Each role uses specific tools, body language and verbal language to communicate to those in the same role and other roles, showcasing the harmonious and established organizational culture of this small, local independent Chicago news studio.
A (DOG) WALK IN THE PARK
by Beth Zupec
What does it mean to take your dog for a walk in the public park? How do dog owners share and make space with others? What does it mean to be a responsible dog owner? These questions and more are explored in A (Dog) Walk in the Park. Through observational footage, this short film examines how taking your dog to a public park shapes social interactions and what these interactions reveal about the norms and social responsibilities of the dog parent community. Through candid moments and subtle cues, A (Dog) Walk in the Park offers a window into the norms that govern human and dog behavior in a public park and the community that is fostered through such behaviors.
UNATTENDED OBJECTS: An Observation of Depaul's Public Spaces
by Wren Odagiri
This film explores why students at DePaul University feel comfortable leaving their belongings unattended in public spaces. Through interviews with students and observations around campus, factors like the tight-knit community, visible campus security, and the design of spaces that encourage interaction are examined. The film highlights how these elements create a sense of trust and safety, making students feel confident that their things will be left alone.
WORTH THE WAIT
by Claire Moniatte
Our everyday lives are filled with lines — at airports, grocery stores, and concert venues. Some lines are expected, others are not. Length varies, wait time varies, but when faced with a line, we ultimately know what to do. “Worth the Wait” dives deeper into this social phenomenon, and seeks to answer this question: how do people wait in line? This film will follow a line at a DMV, the Chicago Theatre, and at a Magic the Gathering convention, and explore how social norms, etiquette and community change within a line. When the outcome is intangible, what are the ways in which we justify the wait? Is it truly worth it?
PERFORMING AUTHENTICITY
by Surdeep Chauhan
"Performing Authenticity" explores the multifaceted concept of authenticity
through the lens of up and coming independent hip-hop artists in Chicago, and how
live performance allows artists to exhibit three separate forms of authenticity. Primarily set in during an Open Mic/Freestyle Cypher Event hosted by Dream Street Studios in Pilsen, a neighborhood in the Lower West Side of Chicago, this documentary aims to identify three distinct forms of behavior an artist takes on while navigating public space; the authentic artist, the artist existing, and the artist amongst artists. These forms range in exaggerated affectations and bravado to more reserved and calculated ways of being while in the live performance arena.
This documentary employs live musical performance with interviews conducted
at the scene, as well as an one-on-one retrospective interview with JacoJeanz, delving into his backstory and beginnings as an artist and his awareness of his own
authenticity.
CHICAGO EESTI MAJA
by Evyana Polyak
“Chicago Eesti Maja” follows youth at the Chicago Estonian House in the suburbs as they prepare for an Independence Day party. Through observational footage and walking interviews, audiences learn how the new generation of Estonian Americans interacts with their heritage and culture.
going up
by Aubreonna Chamberlain
The short ethnographic film going up is an observational documentary exploring the social conditioning practiced on escalators, by commuters on CTA. The film examines behaviors committed by commuters on the escalators and stairs in train stations when placed in an environment with limited space. Walking up or staying still, going up seeks to examine the influence of social pressures, and independence sought in everyday people while riding up the escalators.
BRUJOS: A Brotherhood
(Brujos: Una Hermandad)
by Merridith Montgomery
During the winter months, a group of men, between the ages of 16-44, meet weekly to play indoor soccer in the South Suburbs of Chicago. They identify as Brujos. This film documents Football Sundays with the team combining their experiences both on and off the field. This collective has a strong bond, sharing the sentiment that the team is more than just place to play soccer- it’s a family. The members of the team share collective moments of joy and grief- shaping their collective and individual identities. This film explores how people connect, how the celebrate or grieve together, and how they interact when there is a shared purpose. These men created community both on and off the field, proudly proclaiming “¡HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE!”.
DRAFT
by Jo Stewart
"Draft" features a small hole in the wall board and table top game store in Lincoln Park, Chicago, known as Good Games. After observing a weekly tabletop gaming night, the film’s goal became to study and highlight how community forms in complex and unique ways. With a mix of casual interviews and observational footage, the viewer beings to learn why and how people are drawn to a sense of community, even when they may be seen as outcasts. The film highlights a group that has been meeting regularly over the years to simply play and replay their favorite fantasy tabletop card game, together.
GOLDEN CAMARADERIE
by Marianne To
This short ethnographic film begins with four women playing cards in a game room. They all live in a 55+ active adult apartment community. Through their conversations, laughter, and interactions there is a sense of new-friend camaraderie. They bond over a mutual need to escape loneliness. Another woman, doing puzzles alone, is content with her alone time. Through interviews with these women, this film offers a snapshot of how some older women today cope with their emotional needs at their later stage of life. The space is not just a game room in the building, it is an extension of their home that is filled with friends. Their conversation gives the audience a sense of their appreciation for the others in a warm and peaceful setting. At the end of the film, the images of the building exterior and the empty chair in the courtyard offers a contrast to the warm camaraderie that takes place inside.
My Favorite Park, or, River of Welcome
by Andrew Martinez
"My Favorite Park, or, River Of Welcome" centers around the Canalport Riverwalk Park (CRP). The CRP, being situated along the South branch of the Chicago River, between two major avenues and an expressway, is isolated and hidden. The film explores how the filmmaker and others find out about the park, exactly how difficult it is to access the CRP, and the atmosphere/facilities of the CRP that visitors enjoy. This film sets out to showcase the lack of human-centrc infrastructure plaguing the Chicago River's south branch (and greater built environment), and how residents find ways to enjoy and love their environment nonetheless.
DEFYING GRAVITY
by Christina Carr
Defying Gravity explores pole dancing as a powerful form of self-expression, social bonding, and empowerment. The film follows a pole dancing class at “Indigo Studios” beginning-to-end showcasing how dancers learn the artistic form, the strength it takes and the confidence it builds. This film depicts a story of how pole dancing is a collective empowering practice that transcends its stigma offering a space of vulnerability, self-care and aids in the creation of a positive self-identity for the dancers. The featured dancers speak on their personal journeys with pole dancing, sharing how it empowers them, builds their confidence, and fosters a sense of community, while also reflecting on the transformative impact it has had on their image.
END OF 2025 PROGRAM
THE PART OF YOURSELF THAT SINGS
by Izzy Reno
Pop Up Karaoke is a Midwest-based event company that hosts weekly karaoke nights at bars across Chicago’s North and West side neighborhoods. Loyal to the thoughtful and welcoming environment cultivated by host Eamon Daly, regular people flock to Pop-Up Karaoke nights to sing, drink, and be merry amongst friends and strangers. Amateur singers of all skill levels turn themselves inside-out onstage and transform the ambience of four different venues over the course of this short ethnographic film.
“The Part of Yourself That Sings” witnesses the amicable dichotomy between interchangeable performer and audience, why karaoke is a mainstay in the lives of “regulars,” and what makes Pop Up Karaoke a special standout within the Chicago karaoke community. This film lends an additional spotlight to the embodied experience of amateur public singing and the camaraderie that collective vulnerability inspires.