No Budget Filmmaking Workshop

☕️ On Sunday October 19th join us for a special edition of Cafe Focus!

Instead of our usual work-in-progress screening, we will be hosting a free workshop about making a feature film from development to post-production for under $6k. Led by professor and filmmaker Jeff Harder, with a short guest presentation segment from filmmaker/Full Spectrum programs manager Henry Hanson. 

This workshop will include general advice for maximizing the resources at your disposal, case studies by filmmakers who have successfully created no budget films, and prompts for participants to get started on no-budge productions of their own.

Free coffee, tea, and snacks as always!

Lead Presenter: Jeff Harder

Jeff Harder is an award-winning director and cinematographer based in Chicago who received an MFA in film production from Ohio University. He has worked in film over 30 years as a director, cinematographer, and camera operator on documentaries, short narratives, and feature films, including Carmilla (2015) as director/cinematographer and Ginger (2018) as cinematographer. His most recent film, Carmilla Vive! (2023), for which he was producer, director, and cinematographer, has received over 30 awards. 

Guest Presenter: Henry Hanson

Henry Hanson is a Chicago-based filmmaker and programmer working in the tradition of the queer underground. His self-produced, self-distributed debut short Bros Before (2022) screened at dozens of venues internationally while gaining notoriety as an online cult hit. His first feature Dog Movie (made with a budget of $1K) premiered to a sold-out crowd at the Gene Siskel Film Center and went on to take home the Best Achievement in Filmmaking award from Kansas City Underground Film Festival and the Audience Choice Award from the Trans Image/Trans Experience Film Festival in Dublin. Dog Movie is currently being distributed by NYC-based label Muscle Distribution, who have also picked up the rights to Henry’s upcoming feature film Puppygirl (made with a budget of $0).