Loyola Alum's Short Film Screens at Festivals
Jillian Green, a 2025 Loyola University Chicago graduate, has seen her short film 'Strawberry Milkshake' shown at several 2026 festivals.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in College Life
Jillian Green, who graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2025 with dual majors in film and media production and psychology, completed the 12-minute comedy-drama 'Strawberry Milkshake.' The film follows Carmen, who struggles to balance multiple jobs and a social life, and it was screened at the Women Make Movies Festival, Mezcla Spring Showcase, and Sisters in Cinema Reel Innovator Shorts Showcase in 2026.
Why it matters
The project shows how students at Chicago's Loyola University can move from campus coursework to professional festival exposure. Its path, from a production assistant role in senior projects to independent funding, offers a model for emerging filmmakers in the city.
'Strawberry Milkshake' runs 12 minutes and was one of three scripts chosen for production from a student submission pool. The extraction does not state the film's distribution or release schedule beyond festival screenings.
The players
Loyola University Chicago
A private Jesuit university in Chicago whose School of Communication supported the film through its Creative Arts Fund.
Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM
A Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and longtime Loyola figure who appears in a cameo in the film.
The details
Green joined senior film projects as a production assistant beginning in her first year through her relationship with faculty member Ayesha Abouelazm, and her first short, a murder mystery made in Abouelazm's Intro to Video Production class, earned an honorable mention at a Loyola film festival. Production wrapped in late 2024, with funding from the School of Communication Creative Arts Fund and crowdfunding, and the film includes a cameo by Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM.
Timeline
Freshman year (approx. 2021-2022): Green began making films and joined senior projects as a production assistant.
Late 2024: Production on 'Strawberry Milkshake' wrapped.
2025: Green graduated from Loyola University Chicago with dual majors.
Season Trajectory
Student-produced shorts that reach festival circuits often follow a sequence of campus projects, crew work, and gap funding before any outside distribution. Green's film fits that pattern, moving from a Loyola collaborative selection to screenings at three 2026 festivals.
For Chicago students interested in film, the Loyola pathway shows that senior project crew roles and school creative arts funds can lead to festival screenings. Aspiring filmmakers can pursue similar routes through campus production classes and crowdfunding.
The takeaway
Student filmmakers can build a body of work early by taking production assistant roles on senior projects and pitching their own scripts for collaborative selection. Combining campus funding with crowdfunding can make a short film feasible without outside investors.
Further reading
For more on campus creative pursuits, see College Life coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Loyola Phoenix.
