Downers Grove, IL|Local Event
Quiet on the Set! 9th Annual Student Silent Film Festival
Event Details
The Student Silent Film Festival (SSFF) is a film competition in which students from 12 Chicago area high schools create original motion pictures. Unlike other film competitions, however, the movies submitted will tell their stories in visual terms without the aid of voices or sound effects.
The 9th annual festival takes place at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at the Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland Avenue, Downers Grove.
Participating high schools and titles of movies:
- Hillcrest High School — Witch’s Game
- Homewood-Flossmoor High School — The Silence Between Us
- Huntley High School — A Deal with Fate
- Lake Forest High School — When We Look Up
- Maine East High School — Video Killed the Radio Star
- Maine South High School — Illusion of Control
- Mundelein High School — Vanishing Act
- Neuqua Valley High School — King of Hearts
- Oak Forest High School — Final Deal
- Tinley Park High School — Missing
- Vernon Hills High School — Indeafinitely
- Lyons Township High School — The Master Deck
“We wanted to see if digital-age students could tackle the same challenges faced by pioneers like D.W. Griffith - telling a compelling story without saying a word,” said Ed Newmann, of Hinsdale, one of three founders of the SSFF. “After nine years of success, the festival has found its home at the historic Tivoli Theatre. It’s the perfect backdrop for these students to showcase their work, and the quality of the films submitted for 2026 is outstanding.”
All submitted movies will be shown at the Film Festival with live music accompaniment by Derek Berg, a professional pianist and CEO of the Clarendon Hills Music Academy. The musical scores will be performed on the SilentFilmtronic 2000, a uniquely designed keyboard rig that employs virtual instruments sampled from classic synthesizers circa 1950 - 1980.
The Silent Movie is an art form unto itself. The ability to tell a story in purely visual terms, without the aid of a synchronized soundtrack, is a special skill with its own set of challenges and opportunities.
A panel of industry professionals from the entertainment and arts education sectors will evaluate the films. Three winners will be selected based on narrative development, cinematography, lighting, and technical editing.
The public is invited to the film festival. Advance tickets are $20 and can be ordered at https://www.studentsilentfilmfestival.org/. Same day tickets are $25 at the door.