West Coast Premieres at LA Shorts, Cordillera for Chicago Film; ‘Walking Dead’ ‘Chicago Med’ Stars Lead Cast

The prolific festival run continues for Chicago-made short film After (A Love Story). The dramatic piece launches its West Coast leg this week, with a Los Angeles Premiere at the Oscar Qualifying L.A. Shorts International Film Festival. After then presents its Nevada Premiere at the Cordillera Film Festival, which is headed up by former Chicagoan Emily Skyle Golden.

“The greatest reward for making this film was the process of collaborating with these artists and friends, but the warm reception we’re getting on the festival circuit is a close second,” Writer and lead actor Alyssa Thordarson shared with SCREEN. “Screening at both LA Shorts and Cordillera in short succession is such a privilege, and I don’t take that for granted. These are extremely competitive fests and I’m so grateful to the programmers at each for recognizing the hard and heartfelt work of our team.”

After (A Love Story) earned an auspicious start to its festival run with a World Premiere at the Academy-Qualifying 46th Cleveland International Film Festival. The film, which tells the story of a surviving couple working to begin healing the emotional and psychological wounds of a shared trauma, is directed and produced by Chicago/Los Angeles actor and filmmaker Clare Cooney, and stars Glenn Stanton (The Walking Dead), Alyssa Thordarson (Chicago Med), and Susaan Jamshidi (Chicago PD). Thordarson also wrote and produced the film.

Here is your first look at After (A Love Story):

Thordarson explained to SCREEN, “There is a great deal of vulnerability and ultimately, hope, in this story, and I think the question of ‘Will we ever be able to get our normal lives back after going through this?’ will resonate with audiences, especially in this cultural moment.”

Thordarson and Cooney also produced After, alongside Executive Producers Juan Francisco Villa, Raymond Esposito, and Divisionist Films. Jill Oliver co-produced the film, and Associate Producers include lead actor Glenn Stanton, Jerry Sun, We Make Movies, and Mike McNamara.

Thordarson summed up the week ahead saying, “Whether they have a ticket in North Hollywood in the center of the industry or see us near the mountains in Reno, we look forward to bringing this story to these festival audiences.”

Click here to follow the film’s fabulous festival run on Facebook.