The annual One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Global Awards Celebration is gearing up to take place at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, both in person at the Davis Theater, 4614 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, Illinois, and online virtually anywhere in the world. Featuring the top 10 winning films from among almost 400 submissions, this event is the third with global reach since the contest started 13 years ago.
When filmmaker Richard Chisolm got a phone call from longtime friend and producer Sheila Kinkade, he didn’t expect it to lead to one of his most formative projects. Sheila had read one news about Tony Geraci, a bold new hire arriving in Baltimore to overhaul their city’s deeply flawed school lunch system. Her words: “This sounds like a really good film.”
And it was.
In When We Cycle, Arne Gielen and Gertjan Hulster take us into the great unknown—a future where bicycles reframe society’s relationship to speed, space, and community. The film is far more than a documentary. It’s an exploration of possibilities: What if our cities were redesigned with the cyclist at heart? Do fast, efficient rides win all the privileges, or is there room for a more inclusive, reflective scenario? With insights from various experts and everyday cyclists, the film challenges us to imagine urban futures that are sustainable, connective, and alive with possibility.
On Wednesday, Sept. 18, Sasha-Ann Simons of WBEZ Radio’s Reset interviewed Sue Crothers, Founding Director of the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest, along with Michael Rogowski, a student filmmaker from Loyola University Chicago. They talked about the upcoming One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Awards Celebration on Sept. 22, as well as the Environmental Justice Award that Loyola University would receive for “The Kiribati Project.” LISTEN HERE.
During the past year, One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest received 400 submissions from 55 countries and 36 states. Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Poland, and United Kingdom will be represented among top winners, along with the U.S. states of California, Florida, Illinois, and Virginia. The Global Awards Celebration will take place at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, in person at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., in Chicago, or online virtually anywhere in the world. A special online screening for those in Asia/ Pacific is also available.
