MCC alumni to premiere film at Raue Center
Twins brothers Adrian and Andrew Nuño got their start in filmmaking at McHenry County College when they were students in 2016. Now they're returning to their hometown of Crystal Lake to showcase their latest creation, the award-winning original film "Little Things."
The movie will premiere at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. A discussion immediately follows the film.
The Nuño brothers have collaborated with other MCC alumni and MCC theater instructor Jay Geller to produce this film that took a year and a half to make from conception to completion. The 40-minute film is directed and produced by both Nuño brothers of Crystal Lake, produced by Kayleigh Jensen of McHenry, written and starring Lauryn Lugo and cinematography by Daniel Gebert, both of Crystal Lake.
The film also includes assistant director Erika Oesau and storyboard artist Olivia Jensen, both of Crystal Lake, and cast member Mateusz Wielomeck of Algonquin. All of the crew are MCC alumni or former students. Geller has a role in the film, along with other professional Chicago-based actors.
"Our common bond with one another is our shared interest in storytelling," Adrian Nuño said. "Whether it be with the words that someone says or the music you hear or the images you see, it all has the impact to not only captivate an audience, but to also leave them with something to think about when the story's over."
"Little Things" was a grand jury winner at the 2019 Southern City Film Festival in Aiken, South Carolina, and the film was also recognized at film festivals in Ireland and Portugal.
"It feels incredibly humbling to have the opportunity to show our short film in Crystal Lake, where we not only grew up, but where we also filmed a good portion of the film," said Andrew Nuño.
"It's also a privilege to be able to show our work in front of several of our friends and family who influenced us to become the filmmakers we are today."
After earning their associate degrees from MCC in 2016, they continued their studies at DePaul University, where they earned their bachelor's degrees in Communication and Media in 2018.
The Nuños first got involved with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) McHenry County when they spoke at a meeting regarding a slam poem video they made in 2015 titled "All Too Soon."
"We have remained in contact with them (NAMI) since then and it has led up to our current collaboration, where we were fortunate to have their support for this project," said Andrew.
With all of the stories in the media of people taking their own lives, the Nuños said "Little Things" has an important message.
"We feel that it is important to continue to articulate that there is hope," Adrian said. "It is totally OK to not be OK, but know there is hope. Nobody's sadness should be invalidated by others who don't understand their position. These messages are what drove us to create the film in hopes that we can inspire imperative dialogues on the subject," he added.
The screening is free, but donations are encouraged. A percentage of the donations will go toward the filmmakers, as well as NAMI-McHenry County.
Parental guidance is suggested, as the film contains mature language and themes. For more information, visit rauecenter.org.