Patient Zero
Chicago, Illinois | Film Short
Drama, Film-Noir
Patient Zero — a powerful short film that exposes class struggle, toxic masculinity, and the cost of being ignored. It challenges us to see the humanity in those we overlook and sparks real conversation. A small story with a big emotional and social impact.
Patient Zero
Chicago, Illinois | Film Short
Drama, Film-Noir
4 Campaigns | Illinois, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $2,851 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
26 supporters | followers
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Patient Zero — a powerful short film that exposes class struggle, toxic masculinity, and the cost of being ignored. It challenges us to see the humanity in those we overlook and sparks real conversation. A small story with a big emotional and social impact.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
COLD OPEN: When You’re Invisible Long Enough, You Explode.
Patient Zero is a raw, high-tension short film set in the streets and bars of Chicago. It centers on Mark, a disheveled young man crushed by poverty and systemic failure, who walks into a bar looking for warmth, maybe a drink — and ends up confronting a room full of men who see his existence as a threat.
What starts as a quiet request for a beer spirals into humiliation, violence, and a brutal reckoning with masculinity, politics, and what society deems “worth saving.”
Shot in stark black-and-white, the film functions like a bottle episode — a single space, minimalistic realism, high emotional pressure. Think 12 Angry Men meets Falling Down with the cold punch of A History of Violence. Dialogue is the weapon. The breakdown is the climax.
WHY THIS FILM? WHY US? WHY NOW?
Why This Film?
Because we’re watching this story play out in real time — in our cities, our shelters, our headlines. Mark isn’t just a character. He’s the reality behind every soundbite about “laziness,” every shrug at rising homelessness, every radio rant about “toughness.” This film puts his pain in your face — and dares you not to look away.
Why Now?
Rage is rising. Political rhetoric dehumanizes. People fall through the cracks and are told it’s their fault. Patient Zerospeaks directly to this cultural moment: to the pain, the isolation, the volatility that explodes when empathy is replaced by ideology.
Why Us?
Our team has lived versions of this story. Director Anthony Francis Cuomo grew up seeing firsthand how “toughness” becomes survival — and how silence becomes rage. Producer Luisa Bott brings lived experience and fierce empathy to every frame. This is not just storytelling. It’s truth-telling.
CONTEXT: WHERE WE ARE, WHERE WE’RE GOING
We’re currently in pre-production with a talented, passionate team assembled and shooting scheduled for August 23–24, 2025.
Your support will fund:
- ? Cast stipend
- ? Equipment rental
- ? Meals & transportation
- ? Production design + wardrobe
- ✂️ Post-production (editing, sound, color)
- ? Festival submissions
SIGHT + SOUND
- Format: 16:9 | Black and white | Natural light
- Visual tone: Film noir, harsh shadows, geometric compositions
- Inspired by: The Wrestler, Leave No Trace, Taxi Driver, and the claustrophobia of stage plays
- Soundtrack: Dark rock tone with sonic inspiration from The Who – “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
“The Eye of the Storm” – Camera & Gear Rental
Costs $1,200
Cameras, lights, and gear to capture every shadow, stare, and storm inside the bar. We need the truth in every frame.
“Fuel the Fight”
Costs $100
Long days. Hot nights. Real stories. Help us feed the cast and crew who are bringing this world to life.
The Texture of Truth
Costs $400
Worn walls, bruised light, and cluttered counters — we build this world so it feels lived-in, not staged.
For Peace of Mind
Costs $1,251
Covers essential insurance to protect our cast, crew, gear, and locations. Safety matters — even in the chaos of storytelling.
Wheels in Motion
Costs $400
Covers gas, parking, and transport to get cast, crew, and gear safely to set — on time and ready to roll.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
About This Team
We are a team of students and alumni from Columbia College Chicago — filmmakers, storytellers, and artists coming together to create something bold, raw, and urgent.
Patient Zero is not a class project. It’s an independent passion project born from real experiences and real convictions. Though we each come from different walks of life — with different motives, backgrounds, and political views — we’re united by a shared belief: that stories have the power to disrupt, to challenge, and to make people feel seen.
This film is personal. Many of us have witnessed what happens when people are pushed aside — when pain festers beneath the surface, unheard and unseen. Through this collaboration, we’re channeling that truth into a story that demands attention.
Our team reflects a mix of perspectives and identities, and we work hard to build inclusive, respectful creative spaces. On Patient Zero, we’re committed to ethical filmmaking practices, open communication, and supporting each other both on and off set.
This project is a chance for us to make something meaningful together — outside of the classroom, on our own terms. It’s our way of showing what a group of young filmmakers can do when we pool our skills, speak from the gut, and aren’t afraid to tell uncomfortable truths.
We're not just making a short film. We’re building a voice — and a future — for independent cinema that reflects the world as it really is.
Thank you for supporting our journey and believing in the power of young artists with something to say.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
COLD OPEN: When You’re Invisible Long Enough, You Explode.
Patient Zero is a raw, high-tension short film set in the streets and bars of Chicago. It centers on Mark, a disheveled young man crushed by poverty and systemic failure, who walks into a bar looking for warmth, maybe a drink — and ends up confronting a room full of men who see his existence as a threat.
What starts as a quiet request for a beer spirals into humiliation, violence, and a brutal reckoning with masculinity, politics, and what society deems “worth saving.”
Shot in stark black-and-white, the film functions like a bottle episode — a single space, minimalistic realism, high emotional pressure. Think 12 Angry Men meets Falling Down with the cold punch of A History of Violence. Dialogue is the weapon. The breakdown is the climax.
WHY THIS FILM? WHY US? WHY NOW?
Why This Film?
Because we’re watching this story play out in real time — in our cities, our shelters, our headlines. Mark isn’t just a character. He’s the reality behind every soundbite about “laziness,” every shrug at rising homelessness, every radio rant about “toughness.” This film puts his pain in your face — and dares you not to look away.
Why Now?
Rage is rising. Political rhetoric dehumanizes. People fall through the cracks and are told it’s their fault. Patient Zerospeaks directly to this cultural moment: to the pain, the isolation, the volatility that explodes when empathy is replaced by ideology.
Why Us?
Our team has lived versions of this story. Director Anthony Francis Cuomo grew up seeing firsthand how “toughness” becomes survival — and how silence becomes rage. Producer Luisa Bott brings lived experience and fierce empathy to every frame. This is not just storytelling. It’s truth-telling.
CONTEXT: WHERE WE ARE, WHERE WE’RE GOING
We’re currently in pre-production with a talented, passionate team assembled and shooting scheduled for August 23–24, 2025.
Your support will fund:
- ? Cast stipend
- ? Equipment rental
- ? Meals & transportation
- ? Production design + wardrobe
- ✂️ Post-production (editing, sound, color)
- ? Festival submissions
SIGHT + SOUND
- Format: 16:9 | Black and white | Natural light
- Visual tone: Film noir, harsh shadows, geometric compositions
- Inspired by: The Wrestler, Leave No Trace, Taxi Driver, and the claustrophobia of stage plays
- Soundtrack: Dark rock tone with sonic inspiration from The Who – “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
“The Eye of the Storm” – Camera & Gear Rental
Costs $1,200
Cameras, lights, and gear to capture every shadow, stare, and storm inside the bar. We need the truth in every frame.
“Fuel the Fight”
Costs $100
Long days. Hot nights. Real stories. Help us feed the cast and crew who are bringing this world to life.
The Texture of Truth
Costs $400
Worn walls, bruised light, and cluttered counters — we build this world so it feels lived-in, not staged.
For Peace of Mind
Costs $1,251
Covers essential insurance to protect our cast, crew, gear, and locations. Safety matters — even in the chaos of storytelling.
Wheels in Motion
Costs $400
Covers gas, parking, and transport to get cast, crew, and gear safely to set — on time and ready to roll.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
About This Team
We are a team of students and alumni from Columbia College Chicago — filmmakers, storytellers, and artists coming together to create something bold, raw, and urgent.
Patient Zero is not a class project. It’s an independent passion project born from real experiences and real convictions. Though we each come from different walks of life — with different motives, backgrounds, and political views — we’re united by a shared belief: that stories have the power to disrupt, to challenge, and to make people feel seen.
This film is personal. Many of us have witnessed what happens when people are pushed aside — when pain festers beneath the surface, unheard and unseen. Through this collaboration, we’re channeling that truth into a story that demands attention.
Our team reflects a mix of perspectives and identities, and we work hard to build inclusive, respectful creative spaces. On Patient Zero, we’re committed to ethical filmmaking practices, open communication, and supporting each other both on and off set.
This project is a chance for us to make something meaningful together — outside of the classroom, on our own terms. It’s our way of showing what a group of young filmmakers can do when we pool our skills, speak from the gut, and aren’t afraid to tell uncomfortable truths.
We're not just making a short film. We’re building a voice — and a future — for independent cinema that reflects the world as it really is.
Thank you for supporting our journey and believing in the power of young artists with something to say.