It’s almost time for this year’s Pens to Lens Gala, an annual celebration of films created by local K-12 students. From the press release: “Pens to Lens is a screenwriting competition that invites K-12 students in East Central Illinois to submit original short screenplays. If their screenplay is chosen, a member of the local filmmaking group Champaign Movie Makers (CMM) produces that script into a short film. Additional scripts are adapted as movie posters by designers from the Champaign-Urbana Design Organization (CUDO).”
The event will be on August 11th at the Virginia Theatre, and will feature 19 films. Tickets can be purchased at Virginia’s website, and children under 18 are free.
There will be a red carpet event at 1 p.m., followed by two screening blocks. The first will feature films by K-8 students and are appropriate for all ages. The second will feature films by high school students, and the films may not be appropriate for kids under 13.
Good Night, Little Knight
— 2:00PM Show —
Student Screenwriting Competition Selections
ADVENTURE AROUND THE WORLD by Rose Bailey, Noah Hettinger, and James Graham,
directed by John Isberg
DUSTY RUSTY by Caroline Paluska, directed by Emily Polk
GOOD NIGHT, LITTLE KNIGHT by Ozella Green, directed by Thomas Nicol
I’M NOT EVIL by Quinn Fisher, directed by Andrew Nygard
THE CONTEST by Rayane Marzouqi, directed by Andrew Stengele
THE DISCOVERY OF THE JACKABOW by Kallie Lancaster, Lia Sheets, and Kadince Wells,
directed by Andrew Stengele
THE MONSTER WHO ATE THE BOY by Audrey Moser, Jaydin Anderson, Lilly Jurkowski and Garrett Fulfer, directed by Brian Hagy
TOMATOES by Fallon McFarland, directed by Jarrod Finn and Issac Musgrave
WATER YOU SAD ABOUT? by Jayton Reynolds, directed by AJ Christensen
WHY COWS CAN’T HAVE BIRTHDAYS by Brynlee Vigil and Sadie Polonus, directed by Michael Bach
Student Filmmaking Competition Selections
OBVIOUSLY OBLIVIOUS, directed by Iona Hopping
TRUE LOVE, directed by Tara Armas
GHOST ON THE RUN, directed by Sofie Skottene
ENGAGING JASON, directed by Madeline DeCoste (Honorable Mention)
The Red Scarf
— 6:00PM Show —
Student Screenwriting Competition Selections
A NORMAL DAY by Sariah Rose Deal, directed by Danil Formenov
A STAR by Max Libman, directed by Jon Lecouris
CORNERED by John Nicol, directed by Charlie Kessler
FOURTH WALL by Estephany Arroyo, directed by Hugh Sullivan
NEO-SCUM by Parker Evans, directed by Thomas Polk
STUCK by Gwen Kaiser, directed by Andrew Gleason and Thomas Nicol
THE DEFENSE by Dema Evans, directed by Jon Lecouris
THE ONE by Sydney Hoel, directed by Rebecca Nicol
THE RED SCARF by Ariana Mizan, directed by Jennifer Heaton
— Writing Awards —
In addition, the following students will be receiving writing awards for their submitted screenplays (Awards for K-8th graders to be presented in the 2:00 pm show, 9-12th in the 6:00 pm show)
Elena Reifsteck and Andie Strauss, ONE UPPER
D.J. Wang, THE TIME MACHINE
Jacob Epstein, HEAVEN WORLD
Josie Evans, FIRST TIME BABYSITTER
Maher Adoni, RIDE OF YOUR LIFE
Makenna Boyd, PURGATORY
Max Libman, SLIME STRIKE
Mayameen Mizan, THE SECRET PET
Quinn Fisher, FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN
Rachel Manselle, GIRL ON A MISSION
To learn more about the Pens to Lens Student Screenwriting Competition, visit their website. You should also take a look at their Facebook page for some sneak peeks at the films that will be featured.
Photos from Facebook