DEAR CHICKENS: A moving short Film takes aim for the Oscars.

DEAR CHICKENS (2018) is a powerful short film that premiered at the LA International Short Film Festival in July 2018. Directed by Swiss/Mexican Mauro Mueller it is now officially eligible to compete for Best Live Action Short Film of 2019.
by Corina J Poore
Image

‘DEAR CHICKENS’ emerged from the creative hub of the multi-national filmmaking collective FIDELIO FILMS.  The four founding members met at Columbia University’s Film School’s Masters Programme: David Figueroa García (Mexican), Mark Raso (Canadian), Mauro Mueller (Swiss/Mexican), Mauricio Leiva-Cock (Colombian) and Björn Hering (Swiss).

Fidelio Films is an independent production company with bases in Bogotá. Mexico City, Toronto and Zürich. They focus on modern day cross- cultural narratives as a means to develop international dialogue  and ‘transcultural  creative cooperation’, and have worked with a huge number of countries covering a lot of ground, touching on sensitive themes in the lives of people, be they  based in an indigenous  village or urbanites.

 FIDELIO FILMS’ first feature ‘COPENHAGEN’(2014) produced by Mauro Mueller and directed by  Mark Raso,  won the audience award at Slamdance and the Grand Jury Award at the Florida Film Festival.  The team at Fidelio Films take turns directing and producing and this film was then followed by ‘In Times of Rain’(2018), shot in Oaxaca, ‘Candelaria’ (2017) and ‘Tenebris’, an original TV horror series that is now in development.  

Mauro Mueller is now based largely in Zürich  from where he has been involved with the Masterclass Atelier Paris-Ludwigsburg at La Femis, a post-graduate program which is tailored around European co-production/distribution. Mueller was also part of the Script Station at the Berlinale Talent Campus, ScriptConnect in NYC and L.A. Figueroa García, another founder member, directed the award winning ‘Ratitas’(2012), ‘Perfidia’(2013) and has won prestigious awards from the Director’s Guild of America. Mueller was awarded the 2013 Student Academy Award (Oscar) for ‘Un Mundo para Raúl’, and Marek Raso has just finished his second feature ‘Kodachrome’ with Ed Harris and Elizabeth Olsen. So this collective is definitely going places.

Despite having ventured into features, the team at Fidelio still understand the importance and power of short films and now ‘DEAR CHICKENS’, directed by Swiss/Mexican Mauro Mueller is up for an Oscar in 2019.   

It never ceases to amaze how in a short span of time, in this case, 15 minutes, the audience can be so captivated by the characters that we can empathize with their dilemmas. The storyline of ‘DEAR CHICKENS’ revolves around two patients who end up reluctantly sharing a room in the Oncology Department of a hospital. A cantankerous old man (played by Philip Baker Hall) and a rebellious and distressed teenage girl (Kerris Dorsey).  Being somewhat patronized by the Doctor and his nurse, they form an unexpected friendship, bonding thanks to their mutual dislike of chemotherapy, appalling hospital food and above all fake cheerfulness.

This is a film full of warmth and humour.   Despite coming from such disparate backgrounds, the girl (Nora) and the old man (Emil) gradually discover some common ground as they battle privately with their pain, from rage to moments of despair and laughter.

The film is immaculately produced and shot, with all the care of a feature.  The Director of Photography, Andrea Gonzalez Mereles, manages to make their dull hospital room interesting and full of emotion.

 

 

DEAR CHICKENS (2018)

Director:   Mauro Mueller

Writers:  Jennie Allen (co-writer), Mauro Mueller (co-writer)

CAST:  

Nora                   Kerris Dorsey

Emil                     Philip Baker Hall

Doc Friedman    James Eckhouse

Nurse Stephanie             Linda Parl

Prod                    Timon Birkhofer/ David Figueroa García/ Björn Herin and Mauro Mueller

Music                  Lucas Lechowski

DOP                    Andrea Gonzalez Mereles

Editor                 David Figueroa Garcia and DSteven Wilset

Release dates   premiered in July 17 at the LA Shorts International Film Festival

Related Articles

Image
The Road to Patagonia 1
THE ROAD TO PATAGONIA Dir. Matty Hannon

This is a document of 16 years of ecologist Matty Hannon’s life, as he follows his dream to travel and be at one with nature,…

Image
Abducted Files 2025 1
ABDUCTED FILES (2025) by Brazilian writer/director Filippo Capuzzi Lapietra

Celebrating its premiere at the 33rd Raindance Film Festival, this highly entertaining mockumentary, set in 2024, explores the…

Image
Corina- 2024- 2
The warm & quirky Mexican feature ‘CORINA’ (2024) by Úrzula Barba Hopfner,…

20 -year-old agoraphobic Corina, works for a publishing house. She has lived for years within a tightly-confined area of the town…

Latest Content

Image
THE JUNE REGGAETON RECAP
Music
THE JUNE REGGAETON RECAP

Karol G surprised everyone by announcing a new album while the second half of this reggaeton power…

Image
The Road to Patagonia 1
Film & Theatre
THE ROAD TO PATAGONIA Dir. Matty Hannon

This is a document of 16 years of ecologist Matty Hannon’s life, as he follows his dream to travel…

Image
Food
Food as Memory: an evening with Enrique Olvera

El Pastor in Battersea hosted the second evening of its EP + Amigos series, where guest chefs are…

Logo

Instagram

 

Most Viewed

Image
Top 10 Argentine Footballers

As one of the biggest football teams in South America and the world, the Argentine Football…

Image
Top 10 Mexican Boxers

Globally, Mexico is known as a boxing powerhouse, boasting some of the greatest champions in the…

Image
Ballads and Boleros
LatinoLife's Favourite Mexican Male Singers of all Time

Since the days when Mexico was a serious rival to Hollywood in terms of film production and quality…