On Sunday, February 9, 2025 Elmbrook students, parents, and family members once again filled the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the fourth annual Elmbrook 3 Min Film Festival award ceremony. The highly anticipated event celebrated the creativity and talent of young filmmakers from across the Elmbrook School District.

The Elmbrook 3 Min Film Festival is an annual event open to any Elmbrook student. Registration for film submissions opened in October, and the award ceremony took place on Super Bowl Sunday at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center. More details about the competition can be found here.

Finalists represented a variety of Elmbrook Schools, including Swanson, Dixon, Brookfield Elementary, Brookfield East, and Brookfield Central, with participants ranging in age from 7 to 18 years old.

For the second year in a row, Sam Slowik from Brookfield Central claimed the top prize as the overall winner of the festival. His film, "Hang," a masterfully crafted Lego stop-motion animation, wowed the judges with its intricate storytelling, creativity, and meticulous editing. The judges awarded the highest points to Sam’s writing, creativity, and editing, making "Hang" the top contender of this year’s competition.

Younger Ones Category - K-8th Grade:

• Fan Favorite: Ajinkya Dere - KK Magic
• Golden Ticket (from Judges) Winners:
  • Mikey Chusid - The History of LEGO
  • Axel Nielsen - Everyday Heroes

High School Winners:

• Fan Favorite: Thanishq Kosuri - Waves of Kindness (most views on YouTube in Film Festival history)
• Golden Ticket for Best Lighting Winner: Yuva Sharma and Avd Supatkar - My Procrastination Demon
• Golden Ticket for Best Director Winner: Josiah Neilson - The Meanie Genie
• Overall Winner of the 4th Annual Film Festival (with highest judging scores): Sam Slowik - Hang

A highlight of the afternoon was the recognition of all the talented student filmmakers. The festival, now in its fourth year, continues to grow, fostering creativity and storytelling among students.

The Elmbrook 3 Min Film Festival was founded by Mr. Dan Pronley, the theater director at Brookfield Central, and has seen participation from students across every Elmbrook school since its inception.

Thank you to Brookfield Central Theatre Director Dan Pronley for providing this vital creative outlet for students!

You can view the student films in the embedded playlist or by clicking here.