The film tells the story of Kyle who is bored of boring high school and its equally boring clubs until, listening to the morning announcements, he hears about the mysterious Secret Club.

15-year-old writer/director Ben Kadie achieved stunning authenticity by filming in an actual high school with authentic high school students. The day after filming, Ben went on a Spring break visit to LA, where he edited the film's hundreds of clips in a Chinatown hotel. The result is a 197-second film too fun to be kept secret.

Members of Secret Club:

Ari Tutko - Brother Elyk
Derik Radcliffe - Brother Darb
Felix Peaslee - Brother Hplar
Lorenzo Rossi - Brother Bob
Abby Cordell

Production Photos and Stills

The set on the first day of filming. Ben built it in his basement mostly using pieces from previous films. The 3'x7' wall panels first appeared in Murder in the Pharaoh's Grave as tomb walls This is their fourth film..

Kyle Decodes a Message

Ari Tutko as Kyle

Members of Secret Club (left to right): Felix Peaslee, Lorenzo Rossi, Ari Tutko, and Derik Radcliffe.

The Poster and DVD box design
Click for larger version

Screenings

		Secret Club @ Honolulu Museum of Art / January 20, 2013
		Update: 10/23/2012: The Reel Youth Film Festival tour, which included SECRET CLUB, opened at the Vancouver International Film Festival and then went on to 32 more Canadian towns. The tour has just finished and SECRET CLUB is the 3rd place cumulative Audience Choice Winner Secret Club to Screen at the Vancouver International Film Festival and Beyond Secret Club will screen twice as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival/Reel Youth (October 12 & 13) and then tour Canada and the world. In 2009, when Sparks in the Night was a selection, the tour screened in more than 30 places including Nepal and Ireland. [Reel Youth trailer including Secret Club].
		Secret Club @ Asheville International Children's Film Festival / November 11 / NC
		Secret Club @ LA County Museum of Art for the Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival at the / October 7
		SECRET CLUB played at the Asia Society of Texas in Houston on Aug 29th as part of the REDCAT/Wild Ride Film Program and got a little mention in the press.
		SECRET CLUB will play at the ANDkids World Film Festival at Notre Dame University on July 26th. It is part of the "Wild Ride" Shorts program.
		ALONE TOGETHER and SECRET CLUB will play the the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, AL, on August 25th. In 7th grade, they screened A FRIENDLY GAME and 009.
		Summer Screenings at Comic-Con, Gen Con Indy, & WorldCon July 8, 2012: This summer, Ben's unconventional films screen at three of the year's biggest fan conventions. On July 15, Secret Club will play at Comic-Con International -- North America's largest comic book and popular arts convention -- as part of the San Diego International Children's Film Festival. Summer filmmaking will keep Ben at home, but his uncle Michael Kadie will be there, driving his world-record holding electric car, in part to get better parking. On August 18, Molly and the Masked Storm will play at Gen Con Indy -- the largest hobby, fantasy, sci-fi and adventure game convention in the world. The father of lead actress Camellia Franklin, Jonathan, will also be there in Indianapolis promoting his well-reviewed new dice game "A Fistful of Penguins", published by Wattsalpoag. Finally, on September 1st, Molly and the Masked Storm will play at Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon). The convention, started in 1939, is best known for the Hugo Awards to the year's best science fiction or fantasy novel. Ben is grateful to all three conventions for the chance to reach an audience of enthusiastic fans.
		Secret Club @ CineYouth/Chicago International Film Festival / June 1
		Secret Club @ Los Angeles Film Festival / June 16 & 23 Three years ago Ben got to attend the festival, but this will be his first film in it.
		SECRET CLUB will play at The Other Venice Film Festival (Venice, CA) in mid October and they are using a still from the film on their web site!
		SECRET CLUB will play at the Roy and Edna Disney-CalArts Theater in Los Angeles on May 13th. It's part of the Wild Ride program of the REDCAT International Children’s Film Festival
		SECRET CLUB will play June 21-24th at the Fear No Film Festival in Salt Lake City, UT.
		Excited to be returning to the Newport Beach Film Festival for the third time with SECRET CLUB! Two years ago, Sparks in the Night won the top youth prize. The Youth Film Showcase is on Sunday, April 29, 2012 at Noon.
		SECRET CLUB will screen at the Youth Media Mash Up at the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival. Two years ago Sparks in the Night was also an official selection.
		SECRET CLUB is an official selection for the Lovett School High School Film Fest. The fest was created to encourage and inspire young filmmakers from around the world by providing them both a venue to publicly screen their short films and a place to connect with one another.
		SECRET CLUB is in the Sarasota Film Festival Young Filmmakers Digital Showcase.
		SECRET CLUB is an official selection of the Spirit Quest Film Fest of Edinboro University, PA, focuses on the on the human experience, from day to day relationships to matters of life and death, war and peace, science and spirituality. Alone Together, also appearing in the festival, was named Best Student Film.
		Just got word that SECRET CLUB is in Greenville International Film Festival, "Emerging Filmmaker", division. The "[College] Student" division has Chapman, NYU, SCAAD, AFI, Full Sail, and VCA.
		SECRET CLUB is a finalist in the Desert Rocks Film and Music Event - Student Narrative Category. It will screen on May 5, in Apple Valley, CA.
		I'm excited to return to the Pendragwn Youth Film Festival in DC. SECRET CLUB is scheduled to be the first film shown, 1:30 pm.
		SECRET CLUB will play as part of the "Films 4 Kids" program at the Crossroads Film Festivals, Mississippi's premiere film festival, on April 13.
		SECRET CLUB will be part of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival's Filmmakers of Tomorrow Showcase on March 10th, 2012.
		On April Fool’s Eve, in Portland, Oregon, see SECRET CLUB at the hilarious Faux Film Festival. The official program description: “I can't tell you anything about this film. ouyay illway avehay otay eesay itway otay indfay outway”. Two years ago, SPARKS IN THE NIGHT was part of the fun.
		See SECRET CLUB on March ninth at the Epiphany's Children's Film Festival in New York City.
		SECRET CLUB is will be playing with the other "Short Shorts" at the Fort Myers Film Festival, on March 23, 2012
		February 7-8, 2012: SECRET CLUB was one of 17 finalist in the Teen International Shorts Festival (Istanbul, Turkey).
		Secret Club Nominated for Best Cinematography February 12, 2012: SECRET CLUB has been nominated for Best Cinematography by the Derek Freese High School Film Festival. Quoting Matt Lawrance, teacher at Ballard High: "This prestigious festival draws competition from high school filmmakers across the country[...] The festival is held in memory of Derek Freese, a gifted Temple University film student."
		Secret Club Earns Regional Scholastic Honorable Mention January 31, 2012: The Alliance for Young Artists and Writers today awarded a Regional Honorable Mention to SECRET CLUB. This marks Ben's fourth year (and seventh film) to receive a regional honor. The Alliance has given awards since 1923 to teens such as Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, and Robert Redford.
		Very happy to have Very happy to have SECRET CLUB in the Irvine International Film Festival in California. It will screen on Monday, Jan. 16th. in the Irvine International Film Festival in California. It will screen on Monday, Jan. 16th.
		SECRET CLUB played at the Children's Film Festival on Jan 27th, Feb 4th, and Feb 5th in Seattle. "I think I'm generally younger than the other filmmakers, but generally older that the film goers. The screening went great, especially for a sunny day. Thanks to Liz Shepherd for putting together such a fun program and for giving me a nice introduction. Thanks to the kids and their parents for discerning questions. I learned from the film LOST DOG that Portuguese sounds a lot like Spanish."
		November 19, 2011: SECRET CLUB, MACK, and MOLLY AND THE MASKED STORM have won awards from The Young People's Film Festival in Portland. It is the largest and oldest regional youth festival for our area. SECRET CLUB will screen today at the Portland Art Museum as part of the Winner's program. The previous three years that I've had film in the Winner's program, I've very much enjoyed attending, but today we have two performances of the Laramie Project at school.
		Excited to be in the Alexandria (VA) Film Festival. Secret Club will screen on Nov 4th at the Athenaeum.
		Couchfest gives Ben their Lifetime Award Oct 18, 2011: Couchfest announced today that their 2011 Lifetime Award will go to 16-year-old Ben Kadie. The festival screened Ben's Secret Club in Reykjavik (Iceland) and Seattle on September 24th. The festival hosts its screenings in people's homes -- a system they call "awkwardly awesome". Ben is the only filmmaker to be selected for Couchfest twice. Last year his Sparks in the Night screened and was selected for "Best of Couchfest". When notifying Ben of the award, Festival director Craig Downing said "We doubt this will be the last Lifetime Award you receive. Of course, we will be a little proud that we gave it to you before anyone else." The SECRET CLUB house in Reykjavik, Iceland The SECRET CLUB house in Seattle (Photo) November Update: Couchfest has organized new screenings of Secret Club in Stanton Island, NY and Warsaw, Poland.
		Oct 17, 2011: Secret Club was a Finalist at the Future of Cinema Film Festival (Interlochen, MI) and earned a $500 scholarship for the summer program there.

		Secret Club has been selected as a Junior Independents' Film (Tampa, FL)
		Hafa Adai! Secret Club will be part of the Family Showcase at the Guam International Film Festival. [Video intro for screening.]
		Secret Club will play at Woodstock Film Festival in NY on Sept 23rd. Peace! (Picture of Ben in festival T-shirt).
		Secret Club will play this Sunday (Aug 31, 2011) at the Topanga Film Festival in California. The festival's motto is: "Filmmaking isn't brain surgery ... or is it?"
		Secret Club and Mack are official selections of the Columbia Gorge International Film Festival and will screen August 10-14. The festival combines public screenings in with small forums to share in a dialogue and exchange through the powerful language of film and the arts.
		Australia's Short Sharp Film Festival named Secret Club a "Young Guns" finalist. The film screened in Coffs Harbor, New South Wales, on July 4, 2011. This was Slugco's first Australian screening.
		Secret Club Premieres at SIFF May 21, 2011: As a Seattle Times Three-Minute Masterpiece, "Secret Club" screened at the Seattle International Film Festival and was the runner-up in the youth division [photos]. This was Ben's fourth Three-Minute Masterpiece. Twice he went on to be the youth winner and once, two years ago with Sparks in the Night, the overall winner.

Photos

Screenings and Awards

Production Photos and Stills

Screenings

Update: 10/23/2012: The Reel Youth Film Festival tour, which included SECRET CLUB, opened at the Vancouver International Film Festival and then went on to 32 more Canadian towns. The tour has just finished and SECRET CLUB is the 3rd place cumulative Audience Choice Winner

Secret Club to Screen at the Vancouver International Film Festival and Beyond

Summer Screenings at Comic-Con, Gen Con Indy, & WorldCon

Secret Club Nominated for Best Cinematography

Secret Club Earns Regional Scholastic Honorable Mention

Couchfest gives Ben their Lifetime Award

Secret Club Premieres at SIFF