Lights, Camera, Cleveland!

Nov 17
5 min read

Written by Kirsten Kimbler

CSU’s Studio: Sillie collective shines a spotlight on student filmmakers with its first short film showcase – with proceeds going to Cleveland’s growing film scene.

Cleveland State’s film scene will take center stage on Nov. 30, as Studio: Sillie Showcase – a dynamic collective of CSU students and graduates dedicated to producing original short film content – hosts its first short film showcase.

The showcase will feature 10 short films produced by the Studio: Sillie group over the past year, each offering a glimpse into Cleveland’s film community.

Adding to its community-driven spirit, a portion of all proceeds will benefit the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, a nonprofit dedicated to growing and sustaining media production across Northeast Ohio.

After interning with the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, Richard Bryar, a recent CSU School of Film & Media Arts graduate, had the idea to create a charity event for the organization.

“I don’t think anyone else who’s had that internship has wanted to do this kind of project,” Bryar said. “That’s what drew me to wanting to do it, because it was something no one else had done before, and I wanted to make a lasting impact.”

Studio: Sillie

While at CSU, Bryar and a group of his friends started a collective called “Studio: Sillie.”

Studio: Sillie came together as a way to create the members’ own personal short films and help create each other’s films using resources from CSU’s film program.

During his first year at CSU, Bryar and his two friends, Andrew Delly and Grace Prentice, attended the Short Sweet film fest, an annual film festival hosted in Shaker Square.

The trio entered the competition as “The Sillies,” – intentionally spelled wrong “because it’s funnier that way,” Bryar joked.

From there, the name changed to “Studio: Sillie” and has stuck with the group ever since.

The collective has since finished over 10 films in the past year, many of which – including “Beholder” directed by Isaiah Hale, and “Yours” directed by Alyssa Maree – will be featured at the Studio: Sillie Showcase.

“We were looking for an opportunity to showcase our films to people outside of the film school and to our friends and family,” Bryar said.

The featured films were made entirely through CSU’s School of Film & Media Arts and filmed completely in Cleveland.

“Cleveland is the main overarching theme of the films,” Bryar said.

Student Directors

One of the featured films in the Studio: Sillie Showcase is “Yours,” directed by Maree, a senior film and media arts major.

The title draws inspiration from the Conan Gray song of the same name. Maree said the queer artist, among other influences, inspired her to create a film exploring the experience of compulsory heterosexuality, or “comphet.”

Comphet is the idea that society emphasizes heterosexuality and straight relationships as the standard, Maree said. She explained that it manifests in many gay people from a very early age “because that’s all they ever know.”

“I was thinking about the different stories that I heard from my friends, as well as my own experience since coming to college,” Maree said. “All the different things that I didn't notice were tied into comphet.”

The story follows Evelyn, a woman navigating her feelings for another woman, Robyn, while living in a world shaped by heteronormative expectations.

Through “Yours,” Maree explores how growing up in a society with limited queer representation affects identity and self-discovery.

“Heteronormativity is so subtle you don’t even realize it,” Maree said. “In Disney and Nickelodeon shows, there was no gay representation.”

Maree was asked by Bryar and Delly to join Studio: Sillie in 2023, right after the annual School of Film & Media Arts student showcase.

“I like seeing what I know about them as a person and how it translates onto paper and then onto the screen,” Maree said. “That's always an interesting process.”

For Maree, Studio: Sillie is more than a creative collective – it’s a community.

“I hold all these people really deep to me. They're some of my closest friends,” Maree said.

Also being featured at the showcase is “Beholder,” directed by Hale, a senior film and media arts major.

Hale’s film tells the story of Melanie, an artist desperate to create “the perfect piece” while struggling to find inspiration.

Inspired by his own trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Hale wanted to tell a story that explored his own personal struggles with artistry.

“The pursuit of perfection and artistry is ultimately what destroys artistry,” Hale said.

He explained that being “tender with yourself” is necessary to relieve the unnecessary pressure put on being an artist of any kind.

The creation of “Beholder” is a reflection of the struggles as well – Hale wrote this film on and off for three years before it was complete.

Once written, months of planning and preparation went into the film, Hale said.

“We probably toured 40 different art galleries within the Cleveland area,” Hale said. “It was months of talking to different people and setting up meeting after meeting.”

Artistically, Hale’s biggest inspirations come from a variety of directors – most notably Ari Aster, known for “Midsommar” and “Beau is Afraid,” and the Safdie brothers, known for “Uncut Gems.”

“The visual style of the film references ‘Beau Is Afraid’ a lot,” Hale said. “I wanted to incorporate elements of the film while making it my own.”

Hale comes from a small town where being a filmmaker was “out of the norm,” he said.

However, since moving to Cleveland and joining Studio: Sillie, Hale has found his “creative soulmates” within the collective.

“I never felt for any moment that I was doubted,” Hale said. “I couldn’t have done this without them.”

For Hale, contributing to Cleveland’s growing film scene has been beneficial – both personally and professionally.

“Cleveland fulfills the need to move to a bigger film city,” he said. “I hope Cleveland will be looked at as a film mecca, and I don’t see why it couldn’t be.”

The Greater Cleveland Film Commission

Including Cleveland as a focal point in these films was an important part of this project because the Greater Cleveland Film Commission's mission is to draw film productions to Cleveland and sell the city as an option to produce films and TV.

“They’re the reason why ‘Superman’ and ‘The Avengers’ were filmed in Cleveland,” Bryar said.

Film production in Cleveland not only benefits those directly involved, but also brings economic growth to local businesses and restaurants, he explained.

The film commission gets a majority of its funding through supporters and donations – like the proceeds that will be donated from the showcase.

Along with bringing films to Cleveland, proceeds will go towards funding the various workforce development programs that the Greater Cleveland Film Commission provides to students.

“The workforce development programs set up workshops and training programs for middle and high school students to introduce them to careers in the film industry,” Bryar said.

The Studio: Sillie Showcase

The showcase will be held at Lake Affect Studios – a studio space for local artists, such as photographers, designers and painters – on Nov. 30, 2025.

Bryar hopes the showcase will introduce people outside of their friends, family and peers to film in Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Film Commission.

“The showcase is one of those things that will introduce the world of art and creativity to those outside the circle,” Bryar said. “I hope to widen our horizons and get a wider audience aware of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission.”

Bryar’s ultimate goal is to continue the Studio: Sillie showcase every year, as long as there are students looking to showcase their films

“The event is a celebration and charity event for the film commission, a celebration for all of Studio: Sillie, and showcases it to people outside of those we have had in class,” Bryar said. “That to me is what the event is about.”

Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the event will last from 7-10 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available for purchase here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-studio-sillie-showcase-tickets-1757835024879?aff=oddtdtcreator.