Chicagoland
CHICAGOLAND follows a lone urban coyote in search of sustenance for herself and her pups while navigating the perils of the Chicago landscape.
CHICAGOLAND was conceived from a question about the invisible ecosystems that coexist with human society in the company's own urban neighborhood. The questions was related to director Ben Kauffman's interest in re-wilding, and how a city like Chicago might look in the future as humans redesigned a more sustainable urban environment. To develop this story further, the Manual Cinema artistic directors realized that we needed additional input from experts: researchers and thinkers who have intimate knowledge of urban wildlife and ecology in Chicago.
Devised & Written by Ben Kauffman
Produced with a grant from the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund, a project of Voqal administered by Chicago Filmmakers.
Credits
Created by Manual Cinema
Devised & Written by Ben Kauffman
Production
Directed & Edited by Ben Kauffman
Puppet Design by Drew Dir and Lizi Breit
Original Score and Sound Design by Kyle Vegter
Score performed by Matthew Duvall
Puppetry by Sam Deutsch, Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace and Julia Miller
Urban Wildlife Interviews
Gavin Van Horn, Ph.D., Director, Cultures of Conservation, The Center for Humans and Nature
Seth Magle, Director, Urban Wildlife Institute | Lincoln Park Zoo
Mason Fidino, Ecological Analyst, Urban Wildlife Institute | Lincoln Park Zoo
Edited by Joe Riina-Ferrie
Videography by Maren Celest