Loyola University Chicago graduate’s acclaimed short film is one of three nominees in the College Student Production – Fiction: Long Form category, with awards to be presented October 24
CHICAGO, IL – September 2026 – Emerging filmmaker Jillian Green is earning new recognition for her narrative short Strawberry Milkshake, which has been nominated for a 2026 Chicago/Midwest NATAS Student Production Award in the College Student Production – Fiction: Long Form category. One of three films nominated in the category, Strawberry Milkshake will be recognized as part of the Student Production Awards on October 24, 2026.
For Green, a recent Loyola University Chicago film graduate who moved from Houston to Chicago for college, the nomination represents another milestone in a project that began as a student production and has continued to find an audience well beyond the classroom. Green is now establishing Chicago as her creative home while using Strawberry Milkshake as a calling card for the next stage of her filmmaking career.
Green directed and produced the nearly 13-minute narrative short, which was created through Loyola University Chicago’s Film & Digital Media program-wide Collaboration Film Project initiative. Written by Calista Cardenas and produced by Green and Arianna Breyer, the film stars Brea Weston, Pricilla Torres and Michaela Noel.
Strawberry Milkshake follows Carmen, a driven aspiring bakery owner whose attempt to find a date for her best friend’s wedding begins to unsettle her carefully controlled life. What starts as a story about dating develops into an exploration of ambition, intimacy, friendship and the question of whether pursuing success has to mean shutting other people out.
At the center of Green’s approach is a desire to portray women of color with a warmth and dimensionality she felt was too often absent from the stories she encountered growing up. Her filmmaking focuses on tender, character-driven stories that make room for humor, joy and vulnerability rather than defining women of color solely through narratives of struggle.
“Growing up, I rarely saw women of color allowed to exist in softness on screen,” Green said in her director’s statement. “I wanted to create a film that makes space for joy and tenderness.”
That philosophy runs throughout Strawberry Milkshake. Rather than positioning romance as the ultimate measure of Carmen’s happiness, the film looks at the value of friendship, community and the relationships already present in her life.
“My hope is that audiences, especially young women of color, leave the film feeling affirmed in choosing both their dreams and the relationships that nourish them,” Green said.
The Chicago/Midwest NATAS nomination arrives amid a growing run of festival recognition for the film. Strawberry Milkshake won Best Short Film – Tier 2 at the Illinois Film Festival and the Audience Choice Award at the Women Make Movies Film Festival. It has also screened or been showcased through Chicago-area organizations and events including Mezcla Media Collective, Sisters in Cinema, the Illinois Film Festival and XL Film Festival.
The film also traveled to New York for its New York premiere at the Sayville International Film Festival in August, where it received nominations for Best Actress for Brea Weston, Best Ensemble and Best Art Direction.
Produced while Green was still a student, Strawberry Milkshake was completed in production in 2024, with post-production continuing until the festival cut was finished in February 2026. The predominantly female-led production used crowdfunding and pursued grant support to help cover production costs.
Now, the film’s continued momentum is helping Green make the transition from student filmmaker to working professional, while strengthening the connection to the city where she developed her voice behind the camera.
Originally from Houston, Green came to Chicago for college and graduated from Loyola University Chicago. Her work centers women of color in character-driven stories and seeks to broaden the emotional terrain in which those characters are allowed to exist on screen. With Strawberry Milkshake, she is increasingly establishing Chicago not simply as the city where she studied filmmaking, but as the creative community from which she hopes to build her career.
The 2026 Chicago/Midwest NATAS Student Production Awards will be presented October 24, 2026. Strawberry Milkshake is nominated in College Student Production – Fiction: Long Form.
ABOUT JILLIAN GREEN
Jillian Green is a Chicago-based filmmaker and recent film graduate whose work centers women of color in tender, character-driven stories. Inspired by the lack of joyful and nuanced representation she encountered growing up, Green seeks to portray women of color beyond narratives of struggle, creating space for softness, humor and joy. Strawberry Milkshake is her latest short film and continues her commitment to inclusive representation both in front of and behind the camera.
ABOUT STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE
Strawberry Milkshake is a 2026 narrative short directed and produced by Jillian Green and written by Calista Cardenas. The film stars Brea Weston, Pricilla Torres and Michaela Noel and was created through Loyola University Chicago’s Film & Digital Media Collaboration Film Project initiative. The film explores ambition, friendship, intimacy and the importance of allowing meaningful relationships to coexist with personal dreams.
MEDIA CONTACT
Rick Eberle
Magnetic Vine | G&R Events
516-729-6872
rick@magneticvine.com
FILMMAKER CONTACT
Jillian Green
Director / Producer
thejilliangreen@gmail.com
713-383-7276
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