The 815HORTS Film Festival is returning to Rockford for its fourth year.
The festival, produced by Plus Seven Company, will take place Nov. 14-15 at City Stage Studios, according to a community announcement.
This year’s event will feature five short film screening blocks, the Illinois Film Office’s Shortcuts Student Film Contest, educational sessions and the festival’s first feature-length film screening.
Festival continues to grow
“We’re excited to see how this festival keeps growing each year, including a new youth film contest, a feature film on women’s baseball, and now taking center stage at City Stage,” Sarah Leys, director of community and economic development at the City of Rockford, said in the announcement. “It brings new voices, new stories and new energy to our community and is a great example of how creativity can connect people and celebrate what makes Rockford unique.”
The festival will kick off Nov. 14 with a 5HORT Industry Mixer, followed by the 2025 Sundance Shorts Tour at 6 p.m. The tour will showcase seven short films from the Sundance Film Festival. The Illinois Film Office Shortcuts Student Film Contest will follow, featuring five short films created by students aged 22 and under.
Educational sessions planned
The second day of the festival will begin with a 5HORT Morning Mixer, followed by a Zoom Q&A with Madison Egan, shorts programmer at the Tribeca Festival, at 11 a.m. The session, moderated by Hawley, will allow attendees to engage with one of the world’s leading film festival programmers, according to the announcement.
The “City Stage BTS Lunch + Learn” will offer an inside look into City Stage Studios, with lunch donated by District Bar & Grill. After the Lunch + Learn, 815HORTS alum James Forni’s latest documentary, “Silicon Prairie Dreams,” will make its Illinois festival premiere. A panel session titled “Lawful Break-In,” featuring Forni and entertainment attorney Elaine Wyder, will explore indie filmmaking best practices from a legal perspective.
Feature-length film to be screened
Nov. 15’s program will shift back to film screenings with animated, documentary and live-action short film blocks. The final film of the festival will be “See Her Be Her,” the first feature-length film to be featured at 815HORTS. Directed and produced by Jean Fruth, the documentary traces the story of women’s baseball around the world, following the lives of seven star players. The film is executive produced by sports icon Billie Jean King.
After the film, Hawley will moderate a discussion with cast members Denae Benites, a member of the USA Women’s National Baseball Team, and Leslie Heaphy, a women’s baseball historian and board chair of the International Women’s Baseball Center in Rockford.
The 5HORT Awards will close out the festival, honoring the top short films screened during the program. Both evenings will include music, snacks and beverages for sale.
One-day festival tickets for Friday or Saturday cost $20, while two-day festival passes cost $30. Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Ticketed guests will be allowed re-entry. For the festival schedule, screening announcements, tickets and other updates, follow www.815HORTS.com.
This story was created by reporter Abreanna Blose, [email protected], with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: 815HORTS Film Festival returns to Rockford Nov. 14–15
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