HSE students break barriers

Olio Road Productions’ “11:17” selected for 34th Heartland International Film Festival

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In a feat almost unheard of in the world of independent cinema, a group of high school students from Hamilton Southeastern High School have done what most filmmakers only dream of: their feature film, 11:17, has been officially selected for the 34th Heartland International Film Festival, one of the nation’s premier Oscar®-qualifying festivals.

11:17 wasn’t created in a classroom, for a grade, for financial gain, or with professional resources. This film was entirely written, produced, and brought to life outside of school by teenagers, working purely for the love of moviemaking. Now, these students find themselves competing on the same stage as veteran, professional filmmakers from around the world.

“This isn’t just unusual – it’s extraordinary,” said Jamie Follis, founder of Olio Road Productions and an award-winning educator who guided the project as a producer. “For a film created by high school students in their free time to be recognized by Heartland is proof that passion and creativity can rival experience and budgets. These students have set a new standard for what young filmmakers are capable of. Imagine if a high school sports team was invited to compete with adult professional athletes.”

The Heartland International Film Festival has a reputation for discovering powerful, inspiring films – the kind that go on to Oscars® and beyond. That makes 11:17’s selection even more stunning: a youth-driven production has broken through one of the most competitive gates in the industry.

Olio Road Productions, founded by Follis, has long been dedicated to empowering young filmmakers. With 11:17, its mission reaches new heights: what started as a small student-driven passion project now stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the best independent films in the world.

Click here to watch the trailer on YouTube.

The 34th Heartland International Film Festival will run in Indianapolis Oct. 9 to 19, spotlighting the work of filmmakers who dare to inspire – and among them, a group of teenagers proving the future of cinema is already here.

For tickets and showtimes, go to tickets.HeartlandFilm.org.

Film Synopsis

High school seniors Kai, Riley, and Evelyn have built their lives around each other – bike rides, coffee shop stops, and late-night traditions defining their friendship. But when tragedy strikes, their world fractures, leaving Kai desperate for distraction.

As Riley struggles to hold them together, Kai drifts toward a reckless group whose adrenaline-fueled nights offer escape. The deeper she’s pulled into this volatile world, the more tension grows between her old life and the new one threatening to consume her.

Surreal yet familiar visions flood Kai’s conscience, mirroring her fractured state of mind and the rift in her relationships. Moving forward seems impossible as her own mind leaves her trapped.

11:17 is a solemn portrait of adolescence in the wake of devastation, balancing realism with dreamlike imagery to explore how tragedy reshapes bonds, fractures identity, and forces us to confront who we become when we face loss.

Statement from the director, AJ Koleszar

11:17 first sparked from a story my co-writer told me about his friend who was battling insomnia ever since his grandpa passed away. This idea of grief’s differing effects on people stuck with us and shaped the core themes of the film.

Throughout the film, we see how Kai and Riley, two best friends, battle with their grief over an unexpected tragedy in their lives. However, they don’t grieve in the same way, and their different coping methods clash. People experience grief in their own ways; for some, it means a desperate attempt to keep every aspect of their life the same as it was; for others, it means resorting to new dangerous and unhealthy behaviors to distract themselves from the past.

As a fully student-run production company, these complex and nuanced themes were a first for us and came with many new challenges. Shaping a compelling yet respectful story around this topic was one of the greatest challenges we faced. From learning with our actors to help them display the detailed effects of grief to creating an eerie, surreal dimension for Kai to explore, creating the story of this film was a monumental task in so many ways.

But in the end, our goal was to create an experience that gives audiences a look into the different paths people can take on their journey through grief. While nobody walks the same road, grief can destroy relationships, kill aspirations, and leave a person hollowed out. But no matter what happens on this trail, there is always light at the end of the tunnel; no matter how much pain and suffering someone is engulfed by, and no matter how many fractures it may cause, those who truly love and care for them will always accept them when they find themselves again.

About Olio Road Productions

Olio Road Productions was envisioned and founded by teacher Jamie Follis as a space where students could discover the power of filmmaking beyond the classroom.

Made up entirely of high school students, Olio Road operates outside of traditional school structures. These filmmakers dedicate themselves to every aspect of the craft – writing, producing, directing, cinematography, editing, sound, and design – not for grades or credit, but purely for the love of storytelling. Guided by Follis’s mentorship and encouragement, the students have built a collaborative environment that mirrors the demands of the professional film industry, while still allowing for bold experimentation and authentic voices to shine through.

Learn more at OlioRoadProd.com.