Schaumburg's 11th Annual Festival Presents Astounding Selection Of Student Short Films
Camera giveaways, receptions, a peak into the mind of one of Hollywood's greatest cartoon animation directors, over 30 of the best short films made by students from all over the world, and perhaps most remarkably – FREE POPCORN, converge at Schaumburg's 11th annual Screen Test Student Fest on April 21 and 22 at the Prairie Center for the Arts.
“We've come a long way since 2007,” says Prairie Center Production Supervisor Rob Pileckis (also the festival's coordinator), recalling Screen Test's first year. Then, five judges reviewed nine locally-made short film entries – all of which were accepted into the fest. This year, 20 judges viewed close to 100 entries from 6 continents, whittling them down to the 31 films selected to be shown. “With an increase in quantity comes higher quality,” adds Pileckis. “Many of the films we'll be showing look as if they're out of a Hollywood studio.”
The two-day event begins with a special event presented in conjunction with Screen Test's Title Sponsor, 3 Monkeys & Aardvark Studio.
Friday, April 21 – 7 pm
CHUCK TALK - From Beginner's Mind to Creative Genius
Free Admission (no ticket required)
With a career spanning 70 years, animation director Chuck Jones earned four Academy Awards and delighted audiences with over 250 cartoon shorts starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Pepe Le Pew, Wile E. Coyote, and the Road Runner (among many others). Jones' legacy is remembered as 3 Monkeys & Aardvark Studios Owner and Creative Director Ben Olson sits down with Craig Jones, grandson of Chuck, to discuss the importance of story & character development in a short film.
Also to be given away as a door prize at the event to one lucky audience member: a Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic instant film camera.
Saturday, April 22
Three events of short films by students covering 6 continents, with free popcorn all day.
Festival Pass costs $15 ($10 students and seniors).
11 am
Screen Test Jr. - All seats $5 (general admission)
10 am - Donut and Bagel Reception
Works by students in grades 5-8
Filmmakers will be attending live (either in person or via video call) to discuss their films.
Door prize: a Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic instant film camera.
Birds - Drama, 7 min.
Directed by Maia Costea
Vancouver, Canada
After a traumatic accident, a young girl refuses to talk. But this is not an impediment for her visiting cousin who finds a way to communicate with her.
Don't Crush My Dreams - Educational Musical, 4 min. 41 sec.
Written and Directed by Dryden 5th Graders
Alexis Landeweer, Danny Phillips, Elizabeth Sbovoda, Faiz Mohammad, Jenny Davis, Katie Ryerson, Kelly Robinson, Kristiine Hays, Mia Lardizabal, Samantha Hautzinger, Gracie Asper, Oliwia Lesniak. Advised by Tricia Fuglestad
Arlington Heights, IL
Works of art show that they have feelings too in this original music video.
Helicopter - Comedy Animation, 2 min. 14 sec.
Written and Directed by Calvin Birkman
West Hills, California
Things go awry when three teenagers get their hands on a helicopter for their vacation to Zimbabwe.
H.U.M.A.N.S. - Comedy, 9 min. 59 sec.
Written and Directed by Johnathan Newport
Fairfax, VA
A comedic oral history of life over the past 70 million years that examines and personifies the ongoing competition between Evolution and Extinction.
Lilly Hits the Road - Animation, 4 min. 51 sec.
Written and Directed by The Bum Family - Maezy, Medina and Zaiyah Dennie, and Berlin, Ocean and Sol Demuth
Calgary, AB, Canada
Lilly, a 10 foot tall orange monster, and her adorable friend Fluffle are abducted by aliens in an epic adventure as they try desperately to return home in the nick of time.
Luke - Nonfiction, 8 min. 14 sec.
Directed by Dylan Reiss
San Luis Obispo, California
An extraordinary young boy, diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy as a baby, refuses to accept his physical limitations, striving to be just like any other 9 year old.
Sleeptalker - Suspense, 9 min. 30 sec.
Written and Directed by Jillian Lebling
Selbyville, DE
A girl discovers a new voice in overcoming unfriendly behavior from other girls.
2 pm
Screen Test Abroad & Local Visions – All seats $5 (general admission)
Door Prize: Fujifilm FinePix XP80 waterproof digital camera
Screen Test Abroad
Films by students from outside the U.S.
The Ark - Animation, 2 min. 20 sec.
Written and Directed by Jean-Baptiste Aziere
Valenciennes, France
A rhino is walking into the ruins of a cathedral under a heavy rain.
All About Emily - Drama, 7 min.
Written and Directed by Valentina Casadei
Paris, France
A modest housekeeper, bullied by a hysterical bourgeois for no apparent reason, makes a discovery that will change everything.
Animal Bullying - Animation, 8 min.
Directed by Students of the Animation Workshop of Escola Parque
Julia Arce, Mano Bernardes, Lucas Melo, Isabella Becker, Pedro Lemgruber, Marina Biccas, Leone Carpi, Nina Barreto, Antonio Martins, Bruno Limongi, Fernanda Amado, Michael Gallagher, Clarisse Cordero, Pedro Rodrigues, Jonas Breda, Carolina Erlanger, Gustavo Erlanger, Leonardo Erlanger, Helena Hopfe, Flora Costa, Luís Régis Neto, Felipe Rausch, Alex Potter, Luc Bazantay, Theo Bazantay, Enzo Zambrotti
Mentor: Alexandre Juruena
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In the school of animals, a lion has fun mocking his classmates until he becomes the target of the mockery.
The Earth (It Might be Needed in the Future) - Drama, 5 min.
Written and Directed by M.S. Balaji
Belagavi, Karnataka, India
Set in the future, a scientist goes back in time to save the planet.
Escape from the Zoo - Animation, 4 min. 15 sec.
Written and Directed by: Daniel Süssekind
Mentor: Alexandre JuruenaAnimation Workshop of Escola Parque
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tired of living in cages, animals from the Zoo of Rio de Janeiro decide to escape. First film made by Daniel Süssekind, an autistic student who discovered animation as a safe way to express himself and develop his creative potential.
Just Waiting - Microdocumentary, 1 min.
Written and Directed by James Malekzadeh
Toronto, ON, Canada
A woman who rides mass-transit every day in the borough shares her thoughts on her commute.
The Lost Cause - Drama, 3 min. 10 sec.
Written and Directed by Lebohang Motlomelo
Maseru, Lesotho
An African boy finds himself alone in the world filled with pride, wickedness and evil, when his brother Ramonne leaves for the Liberation Army camp to avenge his father's legacy.
Portrait of Fear - Black Comedy, 8 min. 48 sec.
Written and Directed by Augustė Kunevičiūtė
Vilnius, Lithuania
Victoria is selling cosmetic products from door to door until something unexpected happens and fear starts to follow her in every step she takes.
Something Blue - Drama, 7 min.
Written and Directed by Joseph Johnson
Hindhead, Surrey, United Kingdom
An increasingly heated conversation over breakfast begins to dismantle a married couple's long-lasting, seemingly healthy relationship full of history, love and melancholia.
Stricken - Drama, 3 min. 18 sec.
Written and Directed by Malik Al-Zuhairi
Qal'at Sukkar, Iraq
A mentally ill Iraqi man who suffers the taunts of others finds compassion from an unlikely witness.
Screen Test Abroad
Films by area students
The Classroom - Comedy, 8 min. 22 sec.
Written and Directed by Bridget Johnson
Park Ridge, IL
A school administrator is sent to observe Mr.Schmidt, a History teacher not doing his job. He tries to fit in with his students that are troublemakers.
Deadline - Suspense, 4 min. 55 sec.
Written and Directed by Dean and Grace Lambertsen
Lake Zurich, IL,
A stressed out student is seeing things....or is she?
Twisted Female Bodies - Nonfiction, 10 min.
Written and Directed by Jakyrah Harris, in conjunction with Free Spirit Media
Chicago, Illinois
A documentary focusing on the depiction of women in the media and society. The question driving this film is “Should the media and society stop portraying the idea of a perfect woman?”
7:30 pm
High School Competition
$10 /$5 students & seniors (general admission)
6 pm Red Carpet Dessert Reception
Works by high school students from around the world
Filmmakers will be attending live (either in person or via video call) to discuss their films.
Door Prize: Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic instant film camera.
The Digit - Drama, 10 min.
Directed by Tim Hudson
Written by: Riley Jones, Tim Hudson
Wheaton IL
A young man attempts to break the record for the most digits of pi calculated.
A Formal Connection - Music Video, 4 min. 14 sec.
Written and Directed by Matt Shaffar
Irvine, California
A boy fulfills his longing for his childhood sweetheart through his school's upcoming winter formal dance.
From Dogs to Wolves - Animation, 9 min. 58 sec.
Written and Directed by Azure Allen
Conway, South Carolina
A young man struggles with the space between the domestic magic of childhood and the sometimes unbearable wilderness of adulthood.
Journey - Animation, 7 min. 40 sec.
Written and Directed by Radheya Jegatheva
Perth, Australia
Alone in space, two astronauts adrift team up to go on an epic journey across the universe to return to their planet.
Letters to Lucy - Fiction, 9 min. 41 sec.
Written and Directed by Lana Nguyen
Kirkland, WA
A teen girl is haunted by a monster, a product of her imagination, until she starts receiving letters from a mysterious writer.
Madoka - Animation, 3 min. 43 sec.
Written and Directed by Callahan Bracken
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Piano teacher Madoka Murata's musings on life and the spiritual world are set to animation.
Mark - Thriller, 6 min. 25 sec.
Written and Directed by Joseph Walker
Salisbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
Intrigue and suspense build around a man in pursuit, a mysterious symbol, and an ominous token.
Pixels - Animation, 5 min. 30 sec.
Written Directed by Russel Wagner
Palatine, IL
Two boys trapped inside a Pac-Man arcade game try to escape before being eaten by large animated blobs.
Puget Sound - Comedy, 9 min. 55 sec.
Directed by Jack Nordstrom
Pacific Palisades, CA
Teenagers are inspired to make a super 8 movie in the summer of 1980.
The Story of Her - Drama, 5 min.
Directed by Connor Williams
Written by Connor Williams and Skyler Brigmann
Valencia, California
A boy and girl write a love story that seems rather familiar.
What No One Sees - Experimental, 4 min. 11 sec.
Written and Directed by: MLE DeJaco
Boca Raton, Florida
A journey through the sights and sounds in the life of an abuse victim.
A number of cash awards will be presented at the evening competition:
Best in Show - $500
2nd Place - $250
3rd Place - $100
Local Hero - $250
Achievement in Writing - $100
Highest Production Values - $100
Audience Award - $100
Tickets for Screen Test Student Fest can be purchased online at www.prairiecenter.org or by calling 847-895-3600. The Prairie Center is located at 201 Schaumburg Ct., Schaumburg, IL.
Title Sponsor for Screen Test is 3 Monkeys & Aardvark Studios. Director Sponsor is Tribeca Flashpoint College.
Screen Test Student Fest is a program of the Village of Schaumburg.