Quiet on the Set! Teens strip away sound for the 9th annual Student Silent Film Festival
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.
“With my keyboard setup, I use a Mac to access a library of 30 vintage synthesizers, orchestral and acoustic instruments, and rhythmic loops,” Berg said. “This setup gives me endless ingredients to craft sounds for any film.”
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.
“As an instructor of students who live in a digital world and are saturated by content, it is a refreshing opportunity to challenge my media students with a silent film,” said Bill Allen, supervisor of Television Services at Lyons Township High School.
Beginning in the mid-1910s, small suburban theatres employed a single piano player, but large city theaters had massive theatre organs that had a wide range of special effects. Theatrical organs such as the famous “Mighty Wurlitzer” could simulate some orchestral sounds along with percussion effects.
“We believe it is important for the future moviemakers to understand and appreciate the art of cinema as it existed in the 1920s,” Newmann said.
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.
“In addition to being an incomparable experience for all the participating students,” Newmann said, “the winning filmmakers will have powerful pieces of work for their portfolios.”
The public is invited to the film festival. Advance tickets are $20. Same day tickets are $25 at the door.
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