When walking past the Davis theatre, it’s not unusual to see many lined up outside, entering to see the latest release.
But Monday May 12 was different. DePaul Prep Students and teachers could be seen outside rushing in, chatting with faculty members and parents, and then hurrying into the theatre waiting for the show to start.
There was a table filled with boxes of popcorn and booklets listing the films being shown. It was the second year that the Davis Theater in Lincoln Square is hosting the DePaul Prep Film Festival.
The entire thing was put together by Advanced film production teacher, Will Schneider.
He said, “The fest started because of my connection to the Davis Theater; it’s my favorite theater in the world and I’ve been a proud supporter of it my entire life.” He went on, “When I developed the Advanced Film Production class last school year, it was important to me that these substantial films be screened publicly somewhere. The Davis was my first and only option for this.”
After reaching out to IB Film teacher Jonathan Moeller, the project was developed and the rest is history.
“I’m always impressed with how creative our students can be within their restrictions,” Schneider said. “I too was very impressed upon watching all the different films that had been submitted. Films from every genre; comedy, horror, sci-fi, music videos, documentaries, commercials, just about anything. And just about every single one of them had at least one moment that made you forget you were watching something made by some kids as young as just 14 years old.”
Moeller himself stated how it’s always nice hearing everybody shuffling out of the theater discussing the various movies just shown; people discussing things like the shot techniques, acting, sound design, music used and editing.
One would assume that there would usually be at least one standout film each year that in many ways stands alone above the rest of the projects, but that really isn’t the case with the festival. It helps students of all types grow and develop their skills as filmmakers and learn the tricks of the trade.
As Schneider put it, “Whether these students plan to go to film school or not, these classes offer countless benefits to them. Getting to screen their work at a massive theater like the Davis will be an experience these student filmmakers will remember for the rest of their lives. A big part of making movies is sharing them with an audience. This is their moment.”
Some highlights of the evening included Drew Gerstrung’s “Alter Ego,” Leo Aluise’s “After Hours,”“The Reaper” a short film about a kid encountering the grim reaper, the music video for the song Ransom by Lil Tecca, Ivy Frater’s short film about driving around Chicago with her friends at the end of school, the documentary a kid made about the explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle, and the “Tomatoes” short film a commercial for tomatoes done in the style of Wes Anderson.
It was actually after the festival while walking out of the theater and talking with teachers about my and others films that I was reminded by my parents that the very first movie I had ever seen was the film Babe, right there in the Davis’ main theater.
My Dad’s recalled, “me and the babysitter we were with were both shocked just how much you were actually attentively watching it.”
I think it could really be said that was the beginning of my personal love for movies. And if you had told that 3 year old kid just 14 years from now his movie would be playing in that very same room, he just wouldn’t believe you. But that’s exactly what this festival and the film program here at DePaul does.
