mudgeonsoul productions

projects

Tuesday Night Make-Out

15 Minutes . Color

In Tuesday Night Make-Out, Vi and Catherine hurry through an afternoon of odd encounters and public transportation, hoping for an evening home together. Tuesday Night Make-Out is collaboratively made with a small crew and a large cast.

Directors: Richard Paro with Cyra K. Polizzi, Breahan Eve Pautsch, & Katie Jones
Writers: Richard Paro with Cyra K. Polizzi & Breahan Eve Pautsch
Produced by: mudgeonsoul productions
Crew: Richard Paro, Cyra K. Polizzi, Breahan Eve Pautsch, Katie Jones & Jessica Dexter
Music: Martha Berner, Cross Record, Dust Bunnies, Scott Paro, Kate Brown, Siamese Twins

Cast:

Starring: Amy Crater & Cyra K. Polizzi
Featuring: Ashley Bagot, Breahan Eve Pautsch, Brittainy Boyer, Crystal Hartford, Elizabeth Finley, Jessica Dexter, Kate Gerston, Kristi Parker-Barnhart, Laura Elleseg, Matthew Isler, Richard Paro
With: Anita Nicole Brown, Chad Ryan, Chakira Lane, Colleen Dilts, Edward Fraim, Emily Jusino, Jaaron Drew, Jessica Jane Childs, Kate Brown, Kevin Gladish, Michael Baylon, Naomi Finkelstein, Riebana Sachs, Rocco Renda, Vincent Soto
And: Brad Potts, Cassandra Schiano, Megan Skord, Rachel Brownjohn, Spenser Davis, Travis Barnhart, Victoria Montalbano

More info on our Facebook page here!

More info coming soon...

The Fox and the Snow

10 Minutes . Color

In this short romantic comedy, a women's bible study meeting takes an unexpected turn when the members' true motives are revealed.

*WINNER* The Out Here Now Short Film Competition Audience Award at KCGLFF!

"Peer pressure loses out when members of a Biblical study group reveal they want to thump more than just bibles in the hilarious Fox in the Snow." - Frameline Film Festival

Crew:

Writer, Producer, Director: Richard Paro
Assoc Producer, Asst Editor: Cyra K. Polizzi
Lighting: Jessica Dexter
Make-up and Hair: Kristina Dexter
Music: Martha Berner
Still Photographer: Rachel Renee

Cast:

Carrie Bain
Breahan Eve Pautsch
Travis Barnhart
Crystal Hartford
Chakira Lane
Naomi Finkelstein
Kate Brown
Lauren Hearter
Ashely Bagot
Cyra K. Polizzi

Screenings Include:

- Frameline35 . San Francisco, CA
- Kansas City Gay & Lesbian Film Festival . Kansas City, MO *WINNER* The Fox in the Snow WON the Out Here Now Short Film Competition!
- North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival . Durham, NC
- Outflix Memphis . Memphis, TN
- Cinema Diverse . Palm Springs, CA
- Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival . Sacramento, CA
- Milwaukee LGBT Film Festival . Milwaukee, WI
- Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival . Indianapolis, IN
- Red Wasp Film Festival . Byron, TX
- Serile Filmului Gay Intl Film Festival . Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Bangalore Queer Film Festival . Bangalore, India
- QFest . St. Louis, Missouri
- Buttered Corn on the Cob Film Festival . Urbana, IL
- Out Takes: A Reel Queer Film Festival . Auckland, New Zealand
- Out Takes: A Reel Queer Film Festival . Wellington, New Zealand
- Indie Boots Film Festival . Chicago, IL
- Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival . Hartford, CT

Morning in the Cafe

4 Minutes . Color

A discouraged juggler is excited, and apprehensive, to perform at an unusual event in this music video for the band Coldreavers.

Crew:

Directed by Richard Paro
Produced by Richard Paro & Andrei Antipov
“Morning in the Café” track by Coldreavers on Trippin TheRift Records

Cast:

Cyra K. Polizzi
Breahan Eve Pautsch
Jessica Dexter
Adrienne Dawes
Rachel Renee
Anastasiya Chugay
Andrei Antipov
Richard Paro

Screenings Include:

- Red Wasp Film Festival

Allison, My Love

2 Minutes . B/W

Who do you think about?
In Allison, My Love, when an intimate moment is interrupted, three passionate people are affected by a simple slip of the tongue…

Crew:

Director/DP/Editor: Richard Paro
Writer/Producer: Richard Paro, Cyra K. Polizzi
Assistant Editor: Cyra K. Polizzi
Crew: Justin Brewer, Christopher Weiher
Music: Martha Berner

Cast:

Breahan Eve Pautsch
Christopher Weiher
Cyra K. Polizzi

Screenings Include:

- Frameline Film Festival . San Francisco, CA
- Olympia Film Festival . Olympia, WA
- Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival . Seattle, WA
- Boston LGBTQ Film Festival . Boston, MA
- London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival . London, UK
- Wildwood Film Festival . Appleton, WI
- Image Out . Rochester, NY
- Reel Pride Film Festival . Fresno, CA
- Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival . Sacramento, CA
- South Loop Film Festival . Chicago, IL
- The Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival . Hartford, CT
- One in Ten Film Festival . Penn State
- Short Story Film Showcase . Chicago, IL
- QFest . St. Louis, MO
- Good Vibrations Film Festival . San Francisco, CA
- The Philadelphia QFest . Philadelphia, PA
- Q Cinema Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival . Fort Worth, TX
- Rhino in the Room Film Festival . Lethbridge, Alberta
- Fargo Moorhead LGBT Film Festival Film Festival . Fargo, ND
- North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival . Durham, NC
- Riverside Saginaw Film Festival . Saginaw, MI
- No Shame Theatre . Chicago, IL
- Holebi Film Festival . Leuven, Belgium
- Serile Filmului Gay Intl Film Festival . Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Bangalore Queer Film Festival . Bangalore, India
- Indie Incubator Film Festival . Chicago, IL

Mass Romantic

112 Minutes . B/W
click here for more information.

Screenings Include:

- Bridgetown Film Festival . Bridgetown, Australia
- International Film Festival Thailand . Phuket, Thailand
- British Film Festival LA . Los Angeles, CA - NOMINEE . BEST AMERICAN FEATURE
- Black Point Film Festival . Lake Geneva, WI
- Reel Time Film Festival . New York, NY
- Vacant Era Film Festival . Norman, OK
- Illinois International Film Festival . St. Charles, IL
- Portobello Film Festival . London, England
- Deep Fried Film Festival . Lanarkshire, Scotland
- The Indie Gathering Film Festival . Cleveland, OH - HONORABLE MENTION . FEATURE FILM
- Entzaubert Queer Film Festival . Berlin, Germany
- Trailer Screening / Looptopia . Chicago, IL
- Women's International Film Festival in Miami, FL
- World Premiere Screening @ Landmark Century Cinema . Chicago, IL
- LINK Film Festival . Olympia, WA - WINNER . BEST DIRECTOR

Empty Boxes

2 Minutes . Color

Tension builds between two roommates during their last night in the same apartment.

Crew:

Director & Producer: Cyra K. Polizzi
Writer: Richard Paro
Music: The Dresden Dolls

Cast:

Richard Paro
Katie Rolnick

Screenings Include:

- Blowin' Up A Spot Film Festival . Austin, TX
- Cafe Mestizo Film Night . Chicago, IL
- Looptopia . Chicago, IL

Most Wonderful People

9 Minutes . Color

With little time to prepare, our pining protagonist finds ingenious ways to ready himself and his home for an oh-so-important first date.

Crew:

Writer and Director: Noah Riemer
Producers: Richard Paro, Noah Riemer
Associate Producer: Nicholas Langholff
Director of Photography: Richard Paro
Editors: Ryan Alby, Noah Riemer, Richard Paro
Crew: Ryan Alby, Jacob Lee, Cyra K. Polizzi

Cast:

Noah Riemer
Cyra K. Polizzi

News:

- 4 star review in FILM THREAT
- Choosen for FILM THREAT top ten shorts of the year
- Best of the Fest winner at the Burlington Culture Film Festival

Screenings Include:

- Black Point Film Festival . Lake Geneva, WI
- Majestic Midway Theatre . Chicago, IL
- Flickerings . Bushnell, IL
- South Loop Film Festival, Chicago, IL
- Burlington Culture Film Festival . Burlington, WI
- Looptopia . Chicago, IL

an obvious moment of happiness

81 Minutes . B/W

Robin and Nate are fighting, Sadie and Steven need to talk, Lyric published a novel & met Maggie and Cliff's just happy to be here.

"You almost forget that you’re watching a work of fiction." - Stina Chyn, Film Threat

"There are some movies where I'm itching to leave well before they finish, with An Obvious Moment of Happiness, I would have preferred to keep sitting a while longer." - Ryan Helgerson, The Week

Crew:

Writer, Producer, Director: Richard Paro
Associate Producers: Ryan Alby, Nicholas Langholff, Holly Mosher
Director of Photography: Holly Mosher
Editors: Richard Paro, Ryan Alby
Music: Dave Maxon, Scott Paro, Ryan Alby, Home Demo Vixens, Freshwater Collins, Ticklepenny Corner

Cast:

Ryan Alby
Matthew Braaten
Noel Christopher
Nicholas Owen Langholff
Richard Paro
Cyra K. Polizzi
Rebecca Scott
Peter John Olsen
Noah Riemer
Therese Valkenaar

Screenings Include:

- Black Point Film Festival . Lake Geneva, WI
- Showboat Theatre . Lyons, WI
- Majestic Midway Theatre Film Series . Chicago, IL

haunting perpetually dead squirrels

Episodes range from 1-5 minutes
B/W

In this mockumentary series, three friends try to make some extra cash by putting together a haunted house. This is more complicated than expected.

Crew:

Director: Richard Paro
Writers: Richard Paro, Nicholas Langholff
Producer: Nicholas Langholff, Richard Paro, Holly Mosher
Director of Photography: Holly Mosher
Editors: John Beyer IV, Vanessa Fincher, Holly Mosher, Richard Paro
Music: Dave Maxon

Cast:

Steven Apple
Nicholas Langholff
Richard Paro
Noah Riemer
Liz Bartell
Peter John Olsen

Screenings Include:

- Black Point Film Festival . Lake Geneva, WI
- MIFS - Times Cinema Screening Series . Milwaukee, WI
- Looptopia . Chicago, IL