Private Project

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.

  • Ian McKay
    Director
    Chuckles, La Rêverie, Kingdom of Happy Fallacies
  • Ian McKay
    Producer
    La Rêverie, Kingdom of Happy Fallacies
  • Chole Craig
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Ghost Story, Tiger News Network
  • Bella Gerencser
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Odds and Ends, Joanie
  • Maggie Zuniga
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Odds and Ends
  • Sacha Carlson
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Julie and the Phantoms, A Christmas Story Live!
  • Gus Stork
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Halloween Bandits
  • Clio Nelson
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Tiger News Network
  • Camryn Trowbridge-Wise
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    La Rêverie, Kingdom of Happy Fallacies
  • Jayda Monreal
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Charlie Giaquinto
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Hannah Stephens
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Adamo
  • Ainsley Stephens
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Ian McKay
    Key Cast
    "Self (voice) (uncredited)"
    Anomaly, Odds and Ends, Mind Trap
  • Erika Lopez
    Key Cast
    "Self (archive footage) (uncredited)"
  • Elias Stepro
    Key Cast
    "Self (archive footage) (uncredited)"
  • Sylas Grove
    Key Cast
    "Self (archive footage) (uncredited)"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 27 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 28, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - San Luis Obispo High School
  • One Earth Awards
    Bengaluru, Karnataka
    India
    April 2, 2022
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Student World Impact Film Festival
    Waldwick, New Jersey
    United States
    November 17, 2022
    Honorable Mention
Director Biography - Ian McKay

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.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

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.