Cecily and Lydia at the Waypoint Film Screening

All ticket holders will receive a link 1 hour prior to the start of the event with instructions on accessing the virtual event. This event is available to audiences worldwide.

From Director Juliette Strangio and Producer/Writer Christina Shaver, Midwest Film Festival is proud to present, Cecily and Lydia at the Waypoint. Join us on Saturday, March 27, 2021, at 7:00 PM for an exclusive Chicago premiere. You can expect mystery, intrigue, and stunning visuals from this Harold Ramis Film School alumni filmmaking due. We'll have a few surprise openers, the feature-length film screening, and will close out the evening with a filmmaker Q&A. It will be a celebratory evening of Midwestern Filmmaking that you won't want to miss.

About the film:

On a lush, but lonely earth, Cecily walks.

Alone in her house, Lydia waits. 

One balmy afternoon, the two women meet. 

About Juliette Strangio:

Born under the southern hemisphere skies of Melbourne, Australia, Juliette has resided in Chicago, IL since 2016. She directs and produces narrative audio-visual projects, primarily film. Juliette received a bachelor’s degree in Film and Television Production at Swinburne University of Technology where she received scholarships to work in India and Jordan, directing the short documentary 'Bridging the Gap', which explored the relationship between foreign correspondent and place. She co-produced the successful web series Double Date Night and the Y2K Bug before moving to Chicago to participate in the inaugural class at the Harold Ramis Film School. After finishing the program, Juliette directed and co-produced her first feature film Cecily and Lydia at the Waypoint and co-produced another feature, Sunflower Starfish. Juliette is now President of Creative at Big C Creative and a screenwriting instructor at The Second City. She believes in nurturing kind, empathetic and inclusive film projects with an abundance of snacks.

About Christina Shaver:

Christina Shaver was born and raised in Chicago, attended Northwestern University, earned a BA in Music and minored in writing, and also graduated from the inaugural class of the Harold Ramis Film School at The Second City. She has produced multiple award winning short films including Dicky & Flo, Murder for Dummies, The Most Important Thing, Pandemonium and

recently completed her first feature, Cecily and Lydia at the Waypoint.

Her films have screened at over 30 festivals across the country and around the world including New Orleans Film Festival and Hollyshorts Film Festival. "The Most Important Thing" screened at Chicago's Pritzker Pavillion for their Movies in the Park outdoor festival. At various festivals, her films have been nominated for and won best horror comedy short, best comedy film, best actress, and best editing. Her first feature film, whose festival run began in December 2020, has twice won best first time feature filmmaker for the Chicago Indie Film Awards and the Toronto International Women Film Festival.

Additional professional experience includes executive management and fundraising development. She is a member of Chicago Media Angels and serves on the Creative Cabinet for the Independent Film Alliance Chicago. Christina is a biracial Filipina American who came to filmmaking after a midlife career change. She has two children, one of whom is adopted, African American and has a significant mental illness. Due to her background, she gravitates toward darker stories brightened with comedy that explore what it’s like to feel “other.” 

Her filmmaking philosophy is to lift all artists. She strives for a production that makes room for all participants to make significant and meaningful contributions to the body of work so that everyone feels a measure of ownership and gratification for the film.