Quaranteen
An illustrative collection of insight into how the coronavirus pandemic has affected high schoolers, a generation facing an entirely unique set of challenges as they prepare to enter a turbulent, uncertain world.
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Ian McKayDirectorChuckles, La Rêverie, Kingdom of Happy Fallacies
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Ian McKayProducerLa Rêverie, Kingdom of Happy Fallacies
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Chole CraigKey Cast"Self"Ghost Story, Tiger News Network
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Bella GerencserKey Cast"Self"Odds and Ends, Joanie
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Maggie ZunigaKey Cast"Self"Odds and Ends
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Sacha CarlsonKey Cast"Self"Julie and the Phantoms, A Christmas Story Live!
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Gus StorkKey Cast"Self"Halloween Bandits
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Clio NelsonKey Cast"Self"Tiger News Network
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Camryn Trowbridge-WiseKey Cast"Self"La Rêverie, Kingdom of Happy Fallacies
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Jayda MonrealKey Cast"Self"
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Charlie GiaquintoKey Cast"Self"
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Hannah StephensKey Cast"Self"Adamo
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Ainsley StephensKey Cast"Self"
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Ian McKayKey Cast"Self (voice) (uncredited)"Anomaly, Odds and Ends, Mind Trap
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Erika LopezKey Cast"Self (archive footage) (uncredited)"
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Elias SteproKey Cast"Self (archive footage) (uncredited)"
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Sylas GroveKey Cast"Self (archive footage) (uncredited)"
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Project Type:Documentary, Short, Student
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Genres:Documentary
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Runtime:17 minutes 27 seconds
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Completion Date:January 28, 2022
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes - San Luis Obispo High School
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One Earth AwardsBengaluru, Karnataka
India
April 2, 2022
World Premiere
Official Selection -
Student World Impact Film FestivalWaldwick, New Jersey
United States
November 17, 2022
Honorable Mention
Ian McKay is an Australian-American director, writer, and actor. He is known for his short films Kingdom of Happy Fallacies (2020) and La Rêverie (2020). McKay has been named Best Director twice at the CCFS Student Film Competition and won the San Luis Obispo High School Film Festival in 2021.
This is my tenth short film and my first ever documentary. I interviewed more than a dozen teenagers (from a six-foot distance) on their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic and how it's impacted mental health, family dynamics, and the critical final years of high school.
It's already scary enough ending your childhood and starting college or a career. Gen Z (dare I say… Baby Zoomers?) faces the additional difficulty of making this leap under unpredictable, debilitating circumstances that even adults don’t really know how to handle. We’re graduating and moving out for the first time in the middle of a pandemic, the worst recession since the Great Depression, an increasingly harsh political climate, civil unrest, and a worsening climate crisis, among others.
It’s evident from the sentiments of these talented teens, however, that our generation is nothing if not resilient. We’re empathetic and socially conscious, we care about our planet, and we’re willing to fight for equality and human rights. If anyone can handle the unforgiving 2020s and come out better for it, it’s Generation Z — the quaranteens.