On October 22nd, GTV and a few of our fellow Voyager writers/editors were pleased to be given the opportunity of attending the Chicago International Film Festival.  We were provided a theatre, an hour and a half of up and coming talent, and a film student from Columbia College who directed one of the films. With this, we watched around ten films ranging from thirty seconds to ten minutes in length. The films were remarkable, not only because of their enticing topics, but because of the students responsible for their productions. The ability and talent exhibited by these youth was quite impressive.  All of the presented films had been awarded at the Chicago Cineyouth Film Festival held last May. The filmmakers ranged from ages  9 and 21.  If that doesn’t convince you to feel the need to take a look at what you’ve accomplished today then I’m not sure what will.

The most intriguing part of it all was the vast array of films.  Not necessarily between drama, thriller, or comedy (which were valuable and present necessities, nonetheless), but quality. Some of these pieces looked no different than a movie you would see in the theatre, while others looked as if they were filmed on a home video camera from 2007 purchased for $150. These differences were important.  A thriller made by a fourteen year old kept me on the edge of my seat and invested, while a documentary about a boxing club in a low-income part of a city kept me feeling concerned and captivated. I began to disregard the quality of the picture, or the sound, or the complicated aspects I originally thought went into films. What these kids, teenagers, and young adults were capable of doing was inspiring others.  I felt an overwhelming urge to achieve in the ways that these different kinds of youth had. The fact that a 9 year old could open my eyes to the perspective of children and their views of world, was outstanding.  Not just the children put me in awe, though. The director of one of the most intriguing and moving films, Dissolve, was able to attend the festival, allowing the students previewing the films to ask questions about the film or his filmmaking. Although many of the questions asked were by children of elementary age, we could all still see the devotion and time investment that goes into a film. Clearly, it was his baby.  Aspiring to be a filmmaker myself, I was very thankful for the opportunity to view this young adult’s work, as it had inspired me.

Overall, I could not recommend the Chicago International Film Festival more. The effort that is put into portraying these award-winning youth films is worth the while in your mid-October life. If you are interested, May 7-9, 2015 is the CineYouth Annual Film Festival when these awards are presented; three days of student and youth made films to be voted on, and then later commended at the following Chicago Film Festival. I can guarantee you will see me attending next year.