This year's Screening & Awards Ceremony featured films from the Ithaca area and beyond—as far east as Hamilton, and as far south as Vestal & Whitney Point.

Films will be posted on the Wharton Studio Museum (WSM) YouTube, stay tuned! (Filmmakers: if you don’t want your film up please let us know and we will remove it)

1st Place
On the Company’s Dime
(TST BOCES)
DIRECTED BY August D.
WITH Erin B., Ethan P., and Scianna S.

FILM SUMMARY
While on Break, two Employees discover a mysterious voice is trying to get their attention.

FROM THE JURY
"so fun ... really creative and well-written—a fresh take on the break room encounter!"
"nicely done! Well-written and a good story ... good performance and use of music"
"extremely funny and enjoyable ... the two leads were hilarious"

2nd Place
Smudgies
(Ithaca High School)
DIRECTED BY Abigail G. and Emily R.

FILM SUMMARY
Two drawings fight for control of a pencil.

FROM THE JURY
"really liked the concept and drawings ... particularly strong how the film moves between inside the animation and the 'real world'"
"nice artwork! ... music selected works nicely for the piece"
"extremely amazing to see a high schooler do such a wonderful job animating this all together ... absolutely a treat"

3rd Place
Tea At Mr. Vanian’s
(Whitney Point)
DIRECTED BY David and Gerek T.

FILM SUMMARY
An inquisitive inspector visits his friend, Mr. Vanian, in an old shack in the woods. They have tea, and play games, until The Inspector pushes Vanian into revealing his true identity as … a Vampire! Then, the chase is on.

FROM THE JURY
"really well-written, well-shot, and well-acted ... loved the attention to gesture and facial expression—such important communication tools during the silent era and so difficult to do well!"
"nice work ... music and editing during chess game is excellent"
"really REALLY good ... reminded me of a campy version of Nosferatu ... downright hilarious ... the attention to detail was awesome"

Honorable Mentions

CHIQUITA
(Ithaca High School)
DIRECTED BY Elijah Rey B. and Andrew Knox T.
WITH Theo Caspar S. and Benjamin William K.

FILM SUMMARY
Bob receives a mysterious package. After opening it to find a small doll from the hit anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, things take a turn for the worst.

FROM THE JURY
"tight plot and a clear vision made this a very strong short film ... drew on some fun horror film ideas (steadicam/POV shots, dramatic use of music, chase sequences) ... overall a fun film to watch"
"nice job! ...creative framing and insert shots .... fall down the stairs was well done"
"super funny ... cinematography here is definitely strong ... laughed really hard ... music choice was really nice too"

The Scholar’s Folly
(TST BOCES)
DIRECTED BY Talen Scott H.
WITH Emma Elizabeth K., Caden Marshal L., and Riley Raymond W.

FILM SUMMARY
Will the studying pay off?

FROM THE JURY
"liked all the bits of physical humor that were included ... made dynamic use of a single location ... creative to see a classic high school film trope translated to a silent film ... very well done!"
"funny! ... performance is good, use of music is good and nice that it went old-time ... some good laughs and that's commendable"
"extremely funny and relatable ... cinematography was great and the editing flowed extremely well ... loved it!"

Thank you to everyone who participated, supported the filmmakers, and spread the word about the festival.

Inspired by our region’s role in early moviemaking, Quiet on the Set! is a terrific opportunity for local youth to showcase their creativity by making short silent films. Films are reviewed by a jury of local educators and arts professionals.

Prizes are awarded to the top three entries, which are revealed each year at a Screening & Awards Ceremony at local independent movie theatre Cinemapolis in downtown Ithaca.

Registration required — No filmmaking experience necessary

Thank you to Presenting Sponsor Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College for their continued support (2019 - Present) 

The festival began in 2017 with three submitted films and was co-hosted by Cinemapolis. While we skipped 2018, the fest came back strong in 2019 with sixteen submitted films and sponsorship support from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College which also hosted the screening and awards ceremony in the Park Auditorium on IC’s campus. In 2020, due to the pandemic, we had to pivot and produce the festival as a virtual event, and we were so grateful to everyone who took part during such a complicated time. 

In 2021 WSM & Ithaca High School collaborated on the virtual soft premiere of Quiet on the Set! exclusively with Ithaca High School Media Arts students. Our filmmakers were approaching the end of an unprecedented school year, one in which their lives differed distinctly from any expectations they might have had, and they had a lot to express. Some of the films were funny, or fantastical, some dealt directly with issues of mental health and boredom or monotony, all of them were wonderful, and we felt honored to watch. 2022 found us back in-person at Cinemapolis with a wonderful slate of submissions. We took a break in 2023 and are back in 2024 with producing partner Story House Ithaca.

Throughout the years, our goals for the film festival have remained the same: to introduce silent filmmaking as a form of visual storytelling to young people, and to encourage and celebrate their ideas and imagination. Quiet on the Set! is an opportunity for local youth to create something and then have the fun of screening and celebrating their work with audience comprised of family, friends, and jury members, and perhaps win a prize in the process!

We hope to continue the festival and be able to add to this History section!

View films from past festivals: Youtube