About the screenings:

• Your ticket admits you to all four screenings (three 1-hour, one 1/2-hour). If you leave and return, make sure you keep your ticket stub.
• There will be three 10 minute intermissions.
• Before you leave, we will request a minute of your time to complete a short survey and vote for the Audience Favorite, which will receive a wonderful prize package.
• All movies are appropriate for junior high age and older.

To read about the movies:

• Scroll down to see just the schedule (print at top right corner of screen)
• Download a Word document of the entire Official Program

Soul & Then Some (10:00)
A soul born into the world is faced with the temptations of life. After giving in, Soul finds his true reason for existence. Eoghan has always been involved in the arts, but just recently began to experiment with animation. He plans to attain his BFA in Experimental Animation.

Think Again (0:30)
If you think smoking is cool, this PSA will give you a closer look at the effects of smoking. America is currently working on an autobiographical movie about her struggle with teen depression.

Missing (5:00)
An artist paints 2 birds, which will come to symbolize what he’s missing in his life: love. Jamison is an avid filmmaker who says, “When it comes to shooting video, I don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

Gun Violence (0:30)
This PSA addresses recent acts of violence in Milwaukee, which is causing a social crisis in these filmmakers’ city. This is Trinisa’s 3rd year in the festival. She plans to attend MIAD. Bobby will go to art school and concentrate on animation, and Lance will go to Marquette or MIAD to work on sound engineering or video.

The Diamond Mystery (8:45)
A mysterious woman has lost her diamond, and Detective Maloney has to find out who stole it. It features fun dance numbers and lots of jewels. Daniel has been making movies for 5 years, and also, curiously, enjoys animals and underwater life—of which there are none in this video.

Welcome to Hell (0:30)
This is for anyone who has ever had a hard time getting a cup of coffee. It features 42 human voice-created sound effects, which took sound editor Brett Feibusch 8 weeks to edit. This is Shamus’ 2nd animated short.

Sugar Water (9:25)
Created her senior year of high school, this documentary explores the filmmaker’s redefinition of bi-raciality. Billimarie loves the writing, directing, and editing that movies entail.

Art is Education (1:00)
This is a warning against the ever-diminishing funds for arts education in public schools. This is Daisy’s 1st major video piece. She is currently working on a documentary that examines why young girls dress provocatively.

A New Leaf (13:00)
A young Latina struggles to find herself outside her familial obligations. Jose is in his 2nd year with the Bay Area Video Coalition, an advanced filmmaking program for youth. A dedicated writer, he is also interested in influencing social change. To that end, this is his 1st short film.

In the Shoes of a Black Teen (3:35)
The filmmakers tell about their struggles and inspirations as black teens, and all the joys and pains that accompany their experiences. Keanna and Carisma are completing a year-long video production class at their school. They both love how the camera gives them freedom to express themselves in new ways.

Epiphany (10:30)
This movie is hard to categorize. It explores the mind of a working creative artist and the stages of his brainstorming process. It uses animation, rotoscoping, stop motion, time lapse, and live action to tell its story. This is Sam’s 1st entry into a festival, and he thanks the teachers and organizations that have helped promote his interest in movie making.

Shakespeare Project (4:00)
Several of the judges said that they would love to use this light history of Shakespeare in their classrooms. It covers his baptism through Hamlet. An active drama student, Charlie enjoys experimenting with Flash animation and movie making.

Our Story (3:20)
This movie celebrates the filmmakers’ school, a small school in Milwaukee that opened last year. Working after school and during lunch, they wanted to show how they have fun while learning with new people, who are fast becoming a big family.

Lens of the Beholder (7:51)
What if a camera took more than pictures? What if it could capture an entire moment? Zach says that “everything he sees sparks an idea, a concept, a visualization…If my feet leave footprints, my mind leaves behind deserted ideas, scribblings, sketchbooks, metaphors, inkblots, and general chaos surfing.”

Stubble (1:52)
A young man comes to grips with his sudden facial hair. Martin has made a series of short animations for his school’s TV studio. This is his 1st short narrative movie.

Clean Up Your Neighborhood (1:25)
Using video and rotoscoping, this PSA encourages people to pick up trash before it takes over. This is Trinisa’s 3rd year in the festival. She plans to attend MIAD. Bobby will go to art school and concentrate on animation, and Lance will go to Marquette or MIAD to work on sound engineering or video.

A Kids’ Journey of Grief (13:00)
Created as an Eagle Scout project, this professional-looking documentary explores how the New Hope Grief Support Community uses nature and animals to help children journey through grief. Taylor himself lost a close friend and teacher to a brutal murder in 1999, before the program existed; the movie is dedicated to the memory of Vernon Luther. It has won several national and international awards for best junior high documentary.

My Booty Itch (3:35)
A tongue-in-cheek music video of a song created by the filmmaker’s uncle and cousins. Denzel’s 1st movie, Assassin, used an intricate set of puppets. He plans to major in film in college.

Hide & Seek (A Summer’s Dream) (2:39)
The dreamlike images and music of this short express the purity and innocence of 2 girls playing hide and seek. Andrew has been making movies for over 5 years with his friends. He hopes to make professional films some day.

But For the Silence (13:10)
A girl who doesn’t fit into her high school environment takes a short journey to find herself. Michael has been making movies for 3 years, but since his school, like many, does not have a film curriculum, he produces all his movies himself, teaching himself with his own equipment.

Loving Life, Living a Lie (2:57)
The filmmaker describes—through her relationship with her best friend, her sister, and her friend Rose—the hardships of drugs and not living at home. Achia is 17 years old, wants to be an actress, and plans to go to college after she graduates.

Media Dub (1:57)
A short montage designed to raise awareness of the American Media’s effect on the consuming public. It asks “Is your life yours?” Zach has loved making movies every since he saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He sees movies as a way that he might be able to subtly change society.

Reppin’ That Calculus (4:00)
A fun feature from the winner of the 2006 festival (Blink). This original rap—very Beastie Boys—is designed to get kids excited about calculus. We’ll let you be the judge.

Scuff (2:25)
School can be rough some days—and then somebody accidentally scuffs your shoe. That’s when all your martial arts training can come in handy. These new directors created this movie entirely during their resource hours at school.

The Camel (0:30)
A running camel takes on many looks: cray pas, pencils, curves, squiggles. Jeffrey’s Hunk of Tin won Best Animation in last year’s festival, as well as a Silver Key from NFAA; The Camel won a Silver Key this year. He aspires to get a degree in animation and work with Veggie Tales/Big Idea.

Revert (6:27)
A student starts his day in the usual manner, but bad luck soon sets in, making him late for class. But what if he did 1 thing different and was 3 seconds behind? This is Aaron’s 1st entry to a festival. He hopes to continue making movies for the rest of his life.

Visions Past & Future (0:45)
This short explores, in dreamlike fashion, many different times and places. This is Shamus’ 1st animated short.

SMHS: 007 Music Video Trailer (2:45)
This video was created as a preview for an upcoming film that Kyle is producing and directing at his school: SMHS: 007—Tomorrow May Never Die, But Yesterday Always Lives. Kyle owns his own business, Picture Perfect Studios, and will head off to Hollywood soon to study filmmaking. He has been an important member of the Spotlight Team since the festival began.

Levi’s Animation Collaboration (4:20)
This collection demonstrates many of Levi’s skills and styles as an animator. Levi says that he would eventually like to juggle animation, athletics, and a big family.

What is Ladylike? (1:05)
This short explores what it means to be a “lady”: is it an oppressive patriarchal concept or is it just good manners? This is Trinisa’s 3rd year in the festival. Trinisa plans to attend MIAD. Dominique would also like to attend MIAD to study interior design.

Surrealism (5:00)
A young man comes face to face with his fears, both real and imagined, through 1 night’s journey into darkness. Brooks is constantly “framing” the world around him. He began at 9 years old, shooting his 1st stop action movie using a rewired VHS recorder, an outdated camcorder, an old B&W TV, and miles of cords and cables.

Get Active (1:00)
This PSA uses animation to encourage youth to get active, telling the tale of a lonely basketball who wants to play. This is Trinisa’s 3rd year in the festival. She plans to attend MIAD. Bobby will go to art school and concentrate on animation, and Lance will go to Marquette or MIAD to work on sound engineering or video.

The Death of Color (14:45)
The last 3 years of Vincent Van Gogh’s life are reconstructed in this documentary. Benjamin began making movies at age 7 and is now obsessed with film; it allows him to describe himself to others and explore his world.

Wannabe Idol: A Prevue (1:31)
It’s like American Idol, but in this commercial, you’ll see that the worst singers win. Josh works at the Milwaukee Art Museum and enjoys making movies with his friends.

Still Fortress (5:46)
A man suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder gets fired from his job at a mattress store. Alora is also a photographer and plans to make a feature-length film by the end of 2009. Katie has written an original screenplay that she is directing with Alora. After college, she would like to start up her own production company in Chicago.

Chance (15:00)
Three stories of chance collide, showing how the smallest things can change our lives forever. Nick started making movies in 7th grade, and has since made a number of movies for school projects and independently.

Shades of Grey (10:00)
Three students at Marshall High School are part of their school’s live TV broadcast, MATV. But when the administration chooses to censor the show’s religious content, the students must decide how far they are willing to take their faith. Michael is currently involved in an extracurricular video production class called The Flash. He has been involved in video production for 3 years, and plans to expand his experience next year at the University of St. Thomas.

Bad Chemistry (8:35)
When Dwayne, an unpopular kid, and Preston, a popular jock, are assigned to work on a chemistry project together, neither are very excited. But Preston discovers something shocking about Dwayne, and must decide to help him…or ignore him. Tyler hopes to attend NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Kanbar Institute for Film Production (or NYUTSAKIFP!).

Son Sketched Collection: It’s Dedication & Aphrolyph (7:00)
We will play 2 selections from Harrison’s collection of short films and animations that capture the “essence of cool.” Harrison has been drawing since kindergarten; his latest work is done on the computer in anime style. His hobbies include making movies, skateboarding, and freestyling. You’ll see what we mean when you see these 2 movies.