Oak Park’s Connor Sorg takes top prize at film festival

What does someone do after their movie wins a film festival? Start planning the next movie, of course.

Such is the case for Oak Park native Connor Sorg, 21, a senior at University of Wisconsin-Madison who won a prestigious film festival this month in Chicago.

“Two days after, I put on a pretty big (deejay) show in Madison. I’m working on a mini-documentary of that show,” said Sorg, whose deejay name is Skeen.

A live band preceded him on stage.

“It was a unique and cool concert,” he said. “The documentary is going to be pretty cool.”

But before that is completed, Sorg can bask in the glory of being the top vote-getter among three finalists in the 10th Annual Institute of Education Sciences Study Abroad Film Festival.

According to a news release from IES, 2,300 people voted online to determine the winner.

Sorg, who won a $1,500 grand prize, was asked what he’ll do with the money.

“At the moment, I’m not sure,” he said, “but a lot of it will be going back into my music production and film production.”

Sorg also secured the $5,000 IES Abroad Barbara Bobrich Annual Scholarship for a future University of Wisconsin-Madison student in financial need.

Sorg is a senior majoring in film and marketing.

When his name was announced as the winner at SIX10, 610 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago – after the three finalists’ movies were screened for the audience — Sorg had “an emotional reaction.”

“I was feeling a great deal of nerves, a great deal of excitement, everything that comes with a red-carpet event like the one they put on. I was a little overwhelmed. Incredible,” he said in a phone interview from Madison.

His parents and his youngest brother attended, along with two friends.

Part of the evening included showing the past winners of the film festival, and a video about the program.

“I hadn’t seen the growth, but the recap video showed a tremendous growth in the festival,” Sorg said. “It was sold out with 400 people. It was really impressive.”

Some of the past winners were on stage and the previous year’s winner announced Sorg’s name after she took a card from an envelope, much like the Academy Awards.

“It truly felt like an Oscar or something,” Sorg said.

His movie, “The Journey is the Dream,” is about his being in Milan, facing a crossroads between a secure career path and his passion for music.

His journey is one of self-discovery, revealing that fulfillment isn’t found in reaching a destination, but in embracing the twists and turns along the way.

Runners-up were ”In the Heart of the Motherland” by Walezka Abdala and “Proxycontin” by Alexandra Carlon.

Sorg said he enjoyed both films.

“I thought they were well-made. They were clever. Some good competition. I told Walezka, in all honesty, I was nervous about hers beating me because it was so good.”

He felt his movie being more autobiographical then the other two may have helped him win.

“I think the audience could relate to it, although I was particularly dealing with business and being a deejay. A lot of people were able to resonate with a general feeling of being torn between passions and expectations,” Sorg said. “I think that gave my film the upper hand.”

Although the night reminded him of the Oscars, he did not rent a tuxedo. “I kept it casual,” Sorg said with a laugh.

He was thrilled when “at the after party, they let me deejay.”

“It was a big night for the festival, an incredible turnout and a big step for the program.”

Sorg has been making movies since the fifth grade when he and his classmates at William Beye Elementary School in Oak Park were given iPads to help with their studies.

He was one of 11 semifinalists who advanced to the top three finalists. There were 61 films entered in the contest.

A not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, IES Abroad provides college students access to more than 130 study abroad programs in more than 30 global locations.

Over the past 10 years, more than 160 colleges and universities have been represented through more than 600 student films.

To date the festival has raised more than $1 million for IES Abroad scholarships.

Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.