Screen Test selects 36 short films from 214 entries for day-long fest

Schaumburg's Screen Test Student Fest, a local film fest festival with an international scope, celebrates its 10th anniversary on Saturday April 16 at the Prairie Center for the Arts.

The addition of a third screening event allows Screen Test to show the highest number of films in its 10 year history. A total of 214 films, submitted by students spanning five continents, were pared down to the 36 shorts selected for the event. Entries were reviewed by a panel of 17 judges including industry professionals and educators in media and the arts.

The festival kicks off at 11 am with Screen Test Jr., a collection of shorts by student filmmakers in grades 5-8.

The films, all less than 10 minutes long, cover a wide range of genres including drama, comedy, animation, and nonfiction. Local directors will be present to discuss their films while out-of-state filmmakers will communicate via a live internet video feed. Audience members and filmmakers are invited to a free Donut and Bagel Reception prior to the screenings.

Screen Test Jr. Selections

Alone This Time (Drama)

(Directed by) Pyper Prosen, (resident of) Victoria, Australia

A girl travels for her first time alone on an airplane to visit her grandma when her mid-flight her world is interrupted.

Behind the Rocks (Drama)

Maia Costea, Vancouver, Canada

After finding a golden rock in her garden, a girl goes on an unexpected adventure with her friends.

Climate Change and Sustaining the California Sea Lion (Nonfiction)

Ezra Nudd and Kian Tan, Oak Park, IL

A look at how climate change is threatening the California Sea Lions.

Dawn of the Blanket (Animation)

Jack Nelson, Evanston, IL

A team of heroes protect prophetic artifacts in this stop-motion epic.

A Dog's Life (Animation)

Julia Holzl, Mount Prospect, IL

Clay stop-motion dogs learn the true meaning of friendship.

Movement (Music Video)

Dryden School 5th Graders, Arlington Heights, IL

An art lesson on motion is told through live action, animation, and song.

Namaste (Comedy)

Grace Lambertsen, Lake Zurich, IL

A girl's first yoga class leads to hilariously awkward situations.

Sasquatch Vs. Santa (Animation)

Reed McFeely, Seattle, Washington

An unlikely pairing results in the origin of a legend.

The Cloud is Snowing (Comedy)

Andrew Orals, Lake Zurich, IL

A student's Language Arts paper gets lost in the cloud - literally.

A $100 cash prize will go to the Screen Test Jr. Best in Show.

At 2 pm, Matinée Internationale offers 12 films spanning four continents. "There are no Hollywood filters on these films, particularly the entries from overseas," says Prairie Center Production Supervisor, Rob Pileckis, who coordinates the fest. "These young filmmakers are shooting in their own neighborhoods, using local talent with local resources. You get a strong sense of what life is like in these locations."

Matinée Internationale Selections

At the Other End (Drama)

Charlie Skuy, Toronto, Canada

A mysterious voice comforts a boy during turbulent times.

color·shape (Animation)

Liu Yanchi, China

A brightly animated collage of colors, figures, and shapes.

Copper wire (Drama)

Hasan Najmabadi, Iran

Copper from old wires becomes a coveted commodity between young boys.

Fish (Drama)

Saman Hosseinpuor, Iran

A new home is found for a goldfish out of water.

Fitting room (Drama)

Soheil Soheili, Iran

A home's spare room becomes a source of contention.

Goddess Durga, (Drama)

Amritendu Roy, West Bengal, India

A girl helping her working father observes the world around her with longing eyes.

Mothers Days, (Animation)

Nat Urwin, United Kingdom

Stop-action animation about time spent between an elderly mother and her son at the Great British Seaside.

The Classroom (Animation)

Luiz Francisco Alves de Araujo, Tiago Lemos de Araujo Machado , Lucas Gonçalves de Oliveira, Maria Clara, Francabandiera, Brazil

A look into a typical classroom demonstrates the universality of students and teachers.

The Ripple Effect, Nonfiction

Sarah Khan, Pakistan

The lives of rural women are transformed when they receive easier access to safe water.

The Wizard of the Magic Shoes (Animation)

Students of the Animation Workshop of Escola Parque, Brazil

A wizard, who sells magic shoes to forest animals, confronts the thief of his merchandise.

Unbroken (Drama)

Catriona Warren, Australia

A young boy contemplates a future in which he abandons his dreams of becoming a soccer star.

VANYA (Drama)

Fanny Bell's House Children's Studio, Russia

Five important minutes of the usual life of one special boy.

Screen Test's main event, the Festival and Competition, highlights top-tier works by high school students from the U.S. and Canada, who will vie for cash prizes and top honors. "The vision and maturity of these works are astounding," says Pileckis. "It would be hard to find better films by high school kids than what we're exhibiting here." All films will be discussed by their directors after the films are screened. Audience and filmmakers are invited to a Red Carpet Dessert Reception before the screenings begin.

Festival and Competition Selections

Andromeda (Experimental)

Directed by Ian Dejong and Quin Voth, Vancouver, Canada

A young man paints his own universe of endless possibilities.

Attached at the Soul (Drama)

William Leon, Burbank, California

Themes of racial tolerance, compassion, and acceptance are examined as an elderly man looks back at the time he met his wife.

Cody Evans - A Soldier's Journey Home (Nonfiction)

Mina Sabet, Natalie Fuller, Cassidy Schmidt, and Joey Sinopoli, Arlington Heights, IL

A high school unites efforts to build a home for an injured war veteran.

Domar: To Tame (Nonfiction)

Benjamin Ades, New York, NY

A short portrait on a horse tamer and instructor from Uruguay.

The Fisherman (Drama)

Tim Hudson, Wheaton, IL

Explosions abound when two armed men confront a seemingly innocent fisherman.

KATHAROS (Drama, Experimental)

Evan Obrien, Addison, Texas

Haunted by his past, a tortured boy turns to KATHAROS, a dream therapist to overcome his trauma.

Light Motif Pt. II (Experimental)

Bojana Crnomarkovic, Palatine, IL

A poetic essay contemplating light, space, and time.

Nostalgia (Experimental)

Maggie Jakopac, Elk Grove Village, IL

A moving visual love letter to a home filled with memories.

Parallel, (Drama)

Nihal Dantluri, Naperville, IL

A boy's sanity is questioned when he obsesses over the feeling of being followed by an unknown presence.

Sleep (Comedy)

Mary Aupperle, Savannah, GA

The perils of pulling the dreaded all-nighter.

Sometimes, Maybe (Drama)

Cole Bacani, Naperville, IL

While packing for college one evening, a young woman stumbles upon a mysterious letter that seems to hold her back.

Surprise Me (Comedy)

Reece Scarpignato and Amanda Maddocks, Torrance, CA

A man awakes to find himself alone in his deserted neighborhood - or so he thinks...

Three films selected for Flix in Six, a special 6-second film category, will also be shown: Cheater by Axel

Estrada of Hoffman Estates; Insanity by Aladin Rizvic of Hanover Park; and Thor, by Russel Wagner of Palatine.

Awards include Achievement in Writing ($100 Cash Prize), Highest Production Values ($100), Audience Award ($100), Mayor's Award ($100), Flix in Six Award ($100), 3rd Place ($100), 2nd Place ($250), Local Hero Award ($250 to the best film by a student within 30 miles of Schaumburg, IL), and Best in Show ($500).

Tickets cost $5 for Screen Test Jr., $5 for Matinée Internationale, and $10 ($5 students/seniors) for the Festival and Competition. A full day festival pass for all three screenings costs $15 ($10 students/seniors).

Tickets can be ordered online at www.prairiecenter.org or by calling 847-895-3600. Seating is general admission.

The Prairie Center for the Arts is located at 201 Schaumburg Ct., Schaumburg, IL.

The Title Sponsor for Screen Test is Tribeca Flashpoint College. Director Sponsor is Three Monkeys & Aardvark Studios. Screen Test Student Fest is a program of the Village of Schaumburg.