Elevated Films Chicago is proud to be a fiscal sponsor for the upcoming feature film PATIENT, written and directed by Chicago-based filmmaker, Lori Felker.
Help Finish Funding
We finished production in September, and now we're fundraising to cover all of our post-production costs: editing, color correction, sound mix, music, etc. We look forward to inviting even more talented artists into this stage of the process!
And if you're interested in playing a bigger role in the success of this film, scroll down for more information on donations over $5,000.
About the Film
Logline: A medical actor goes from helping nervous student doctors learn bedside manner to learning to help herself through her own genuine medical ordeal.
Patient is arriving on the heels of a successful short film of the same name. The short film showed us that audiences are eager to discuss empathy in healthcare.
The film plays with the strange vibration between reality, fiction, performance and perspective as it is both scripted and improvised with a cast of known actors and trained Standardized Patients.
Patient's unique blend of humor, absurdity, and drama will be an exciting addition to Chicago's ever-growing independent film scene!
Production Details
- Writer/Director: Lori Felker
- Producers: Lori Felker, Jake Bloom, Desiree Staples, Sarah Podemski, James Gadon
- Creative Producer: Jennifer Reeder
- Filming: Mid-August - September 2025
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Crew: Predominantly Chicago-based
Starring
Sarah Podemski
Reservation Dogs, Resident Alien, The Floaters
Gary Farmer
Dead Man, Smoke Signals, Reservation Dogs
Mary Beth Fisher
Chicago Fire, Saint Frances, Sense8, Goodman Theater
About the Director
Lori Felker has been working and living in Chicago since 2005. She is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is currently an Assistant Professor at DePaul University. She is an award-winning filmmaker whose short films and one feature documentary have screened all over the world. She has been a filmmaker for 20 years, and this is her first fiction feature.
Donation Levels
Up to $5,000
Tax deductible donation
- • Thanks in end credits
- • Local premiere invitation
- • Distribution updates
$5,000+
Creative Consultant Credit
- • IMDb special thanks
- • All previous benefits
$8,500+
Creative Consultant + Premiere
- • World premiere tickets (2)
- • All previous benefits
$12,500+
Associate Producer
- • Associate Producer credit
- • Set visit
- • All previous benefits
$25,000+
Co-Producer
- • Co-Producer credit
- • Dinner with cast
- • All previous benefits
$40,000+
Executive Producer
- • Executive Producer credit
- • Private dinner with cast
- • All previous benefits
Awards & Support
Awards & Grants
- • 2025 Creative Capital Award
- • 2024 Individual Artists Program Grant - Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events
- • DePaul University, School of Cinematic Arts
- • University of Illinois Chicago, Department of Art
Collaborations
- • University of Illinois College of Medicine: Simulation and Integrative Learning Institute, Department of Medical Education
- • Chicago Gay Hockey Association
Make Your Tax-Deductible Donation Today
Your donation to PATIENT through Elevated Films Chicago is tax-deductible and will help bring this important story about empathy in healthcare to the world.
Contact the Producers
patientfilm@gmail.com
Lori Felker, Jake Bloom, Desiree Staples, Sarah Podemski, James Gadon