Upon entering the AMC Evanston 12, students are greeted by the bright neon sign, movie posters and the smell of buttered popcorn and Icees. But this June, they won’t be coming to the theater for a star-studded Hollywood production. Instead, Hello, Goodbye will be on screen, a full-length feature film created entirely by students in Northwestern’s Applause for a Cause.
Founded in 2010, Applause for a Cause is a student-run club that creates an 80 to 180-minute film every year to support charity.
The project is funded by the Associated Student Government (ASG) and a fundraising campaign through a platform called Catalyzer. Students encourage friends and family to donate and sometimes host fundraisers to raise money for the film and items needed to create it.
The film’s proceeds go to a Chicago charity of the group’s choosing, with this year’s being GirlForward: a nonprofit geared toward providing a safe space and resources for refugee and immigrant girls by pairing them with women mentors in the community.
“This year, we wanted something that is in Chicago, so it’s local, and something that relates to the themes of the movie … a community coming together to support someone when they’re going through a tough time,” Communication second-year and co-director Brody Bundis says.
Choosing how to give back through film is fundamental to Applause for a Cause. In the past, the group has worked with the Make-A-Wish foundation, the Howard and Evanston Community Center, and Connections for the Homeless.
As the only student-run philanthropic feature film in the nation, Applause for a Cause aims to make a difference in the community.
Getting the show on the road
Hello, Goodbye has been in the works since spring 2024. The process began with selecting a script. After two rounds of editing during the application period and speaking with executives of the organization, Communication fourth-year Jillian Olson’s script was chosen.
Though Olson had been involved with Applause for a Cause in previous years, it was the first time one of her films would come to life. Her script follows two best friends, Erin and Maggie, who create a bucket list of items that they want to complete before the end of their senior year of high school. Erin passes away and comes back as a ghost that only Maggie can see. The story deals with themes of grief and friendship as it follows these friends in their journey of growth and reaching their goals.
Olson says she was extremely proud and excited to see her story on screen.
“It’s hard to conceptualize that dozens of people have worked on this thing, and worked for a year making this, and it came from my head,” she says.
Applause for a Cause also provided Communication fourth-year Angelina Friedrichs with a chance to try something new. It was her first time acting in a full-length movie, having previously only been in short films. After auditions, callbacks and meetings with the directors, she booked the role as Maggie.
Taking on one of the biggest roles in the movie, Friedrichs says she learned a lot throughout the project, both about herself and the craft of acting. Having only worked on shorter projects, she was surprised at the amount of work that went into this production.
“I was just mind blown the whole time,” Friedrichs says. “It taught me a lot about the whole process and everything, and that it’s a lot more than just what we see when we go watch a movie.”
Behind the scenes
From conceptualizing the story to getting the cast and crew on set, hours upon hours of work have been poured into this film. Students of all grades, majors and experience levels have contributed to make it a success.
Bundis and his co-director, Communication second-year Levi Gillis, hold many responsibilities including pre-production organization and preparation, workshopping the script, finding actors, the day-to-day tasks of heading production and creative direction on set. They are also in charge of hiring some of the team behind the film, including makeup artists, sound technicians and editors.
Bundis emphasized that his job as one of the directors is intertwined with the rest of the team. Weinberg second-year and co-producer Yuka Sumi says her responsibilities revolved around organizing behind the scenes, such as booking locations and making sure there was food on set.
“It’s a really great thing that we have such a big team and we all share our responsibilities and work together to do this,” Sumi says.
Underclassmen also play a big part in the Applause team. Communication first-year Maille Hickey petitioned for and got the role of Assistant Director (AD). Despite being new to the school, Hickey found her voice making sure that everyone was organized and production stayed true to the schedule.
“[Bundis] and [Gillis] were really helpful,” Hickey says. “It was my first set ever. They taught me what to do, and I learned by the end of the quarter what being an AD meant and what my style of being an AD is.”
The show goes on
Time spent on set wasn’t always perfect, Bundis recalls, and there were often challenges to confront. One of the crew’s locations backed out after they had begun to film there, meaning the team had to reshoot many scenes and find a new place at the last minute to continue their work.
In another instance, only one makeup artist was available, causing the set to run an hour behind. It was up to the student leaders to find solutions on the fly and keep their movie running smoothly.
“We all want this project to succeed. We all have poured our blood, sweat and tears into this thing, and we don’t want to see it falter,” Gillis says.
Even with late nights and occasional mishaps, Applause for a Cause members remain devoted to the project.
The culmination of the cast and crew’s hard work over the past year will be on display for students and community members on the big screen. A premiere will take place in June to celebrate the accomplishments of the students involved.
“Every weekend last quarter was spent on this film,” Gillis says. “Sleepless nights, planning, trying to execute, failing and overcoming, and it’s a lot of work. But, I mean, once I see the final product, I have a feeling that it’s all worth it in the end.”
Print design by Sarah Brown.