Sparkly Productions' microbudget indie joins a 2026 A-list lineup featuring projects from Renée Zellweger, Jordan Peele, Zoe Saldaña and more

CHICAGO, IL, July 16, 2026 – Sparkly Productions, a Chicago-based production company founded by Second City Film School alum Joelle Velez, announced today that its latest short, CHOKE, has been named an Official Selection of the 2026 Oscar®-Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival. In its 22nd year, HollyShorts is a vital launchpad for Academy Award contenders and emerging filmmakers around the world.

Submissions for the 2026 festival exceeded 7,000 films with a mere 6% selection rate, making CHOKE’s representation as a Chicago production all the more impactful on one of the industry's most competitive stages.

"CHOKE is a colorful, girlie-pop dark fantasy about authoritarianism,” says writer and star, Joelle Velez. “The easiest way to describe it is like an episode of Black Mirror, if it were written by Dr. Seuss, and set in Barbie Land.” The story centers around the fictional Very Nice Town, and its dark loyalty test called the Choke, which robs its citizens of the ability to speak for 24 hours.

“CHOKE envisions a world where freedom of speech can be ripped away in an instant. In this film, we explore what it means to speak up - or be a bystander, giving us space to laugh, to cry, to fear, to be angry, and ultimately, to be human,” says Director Cee Pham.

Velez is joined on the screen by acclaimed Chicago actors John Mossman, Jennifer Jelsema, Elena Victoria Feliz, and Carlo Aparo.

Produced on a micro-budget, the film was created with an entirely Chicago-based cast and crew. At the helm were Velez, Pham, and Co-Director/Creator and Director of Photography, Kemi Mayomi, a member of Local 476. CHOKE wrapped production in Fall 2025, shooting in Chicago’s Albany Park and Humbolt Park neighborhoods. Post-production wrapped in June 2026 in partnership with Quicksilver Color and Argonaut Audio.

The Chicago-made production showcases the talent of local artists, and reinforces that Chicago indie filmmaking continues to compete and shine on the world stage.

HollyShorts will take place August 13 - 23, 2026 at the legendary TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA. 

You can find the filmmakers on Instagram at @sparkly_productions to follow their journey as the film begins its festival circuit with its world premiere at HollyShorts.