📍 Phoenix Restaurant, April 29 | Chicago’s Chinatown

Event Director Michelle addressing the crowd before the Fantasy short films were played

On a spring evening buzzing with curiosity and creative energy, The Serica Initiative and Zatori Films joined forces to host the Chicago Monthly Short Film Showcase unlike any other — one that turned Phoenix Restaurant into a portal of wonder, imagination, and dialogue.

The theme? Fantasy. But not the dragons-and-dungeons kind. We're talking emotional fantasy, climate fantasy, cultural fantasy — the type that makes you lean forward in your chair and forget you're holding a dumpling in one hand and a beer in the other.

🌍First came "Climate Artists - Episode 4: Superhero Clubhouse", Serica’s contribution to the evening. The doc-style short profiles a bold NYC-based eco-theater collective blending environmental science with storytelling, dance, and performance. Climate grief met joyful resistance, reminding the audience that art is activism when it’s in the right hands.

🌌 Then, Zatori Films screened "Maya the Sacrifice", a powerful psychological fantasy examining the haunting landscape of mental illness. As Maya’s nightmares begin to bleed into her waking life, viewers were taken on a surreal journey through trauma, healing, and cultural symbolism — a testament to the fearless storytelling that defines Zatori’s vision.

🎬 The evening shifted to a lighter mood as filmmaker and actress Nadya Naumaan impressed the audience with "A Simple Ask." The short follows Nida, a young Muslim struggling to confess a crush. In a moment of prayer-turned-portal, Nida unknowingly summons a fierce ancestral spirit deep in the forest — and what follows is magical, haunting, and unexpectedly hilarious. It’s queer, it’s spiritual, it’s refreshingly real.

🎤The night didn’t end with the credits. Serica’s own Michelle Maiuri led an intimate, thoughtful Q&A with Maria Brenda, the star and creator of Maya, and Nadya Naumaan. They dove into the why behind their films — from inspiration, to filming locations, to post production, and the cultural nuances of their films, such as the Aswang portrayed in Maya. We also learned that Maria and her team have been working with a team in the Philippines to shoot a full feature movie of Maya the Sacrifice after it has been critically acclaimed and expected to be released in 2026!

🪷 To wrap it all up, guests were treated to “The Masseuse," a 2018 Malaysian short set in a dystopian future where humanoid robots are commonplace… and you watch as a repairman and robot woman get closer, what happens? Watch by clicking above and find out!

It wasn’t just a night of films. It was a celebration of Asian American artistry, storytelling, and resistance through creativity. Big thanks to our partners at Zatori Films, to our incredible filmmakers, and to every guest who showed up hungry for good food and even better stories.

Missed it? Don’t worry — more showcases are in the works.

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📽️✨ Until next time — keep dreaming, keep creating, and keep showing up for each other.