When Oak Park native Connor Sorg first began making films on his school-provided iPad in fifth grade with a childhood friend, he had no clue the passion would persist in adulthood. Now a senior at the University of Wisconsin, Sorg found out earlier this month that he won the 10th annual IES Abroad Study Abroad Film Festival.
When traveling to Milan to study business last spring, Sorg said he had already decided he would make a film about his experience abroad. However, it wasn’t until he learned about the competition sponsored by IES abroad, a non-profit organization in Chicago, that Sorg decided that he would enter his film into a contest.
Early on in his time abroad, Sorg met a music producer and shared about his own love for DJ-ing and music production. It wasn’t long before Sorg was set to headline a gig in Liguria. “Going abroad to study, having that opportunity [to DJ], and then, of course, ending back up at school on Monday is this dichotomy where I’m forced to ask myself, ‘Wow, do I want to pursue something creative? Do I want to do music?’” Sorg said.
This internal conflict between pursuing a more stable or a more creative career seemed to Sorg to be a natural idea for his film to study. Soon enough, he began capturing this conflict through the lenses of iPhones, GoPros and drones, culminating in a film titled “The Journey is the Dream.”
“It’s about a personal conflict of mine, choosing between pursuing a corporate career and following a creative passion,” Sorg said. “I think many people may resonate with feeling torn between societal expectations and chasing their true passions.”
According to Sorg, a panel selected three finalists from around 70 submissions. The finalists were then invited to Chicago for the 10th annual film festival Oct. 17, where the winner was announced.
Sorg said the support that he felt from his friends and family is the most memorable event of the night. In the audience was the same childhood friend that Sorg first made films with in fifth grade, who had traveled to Norway to help with the filming process.
“I couldn’t have done it without him,” Sorg said. “It was a culmination of everything we’ve worked for our entire life. What started as just a fun little hobby is finally paying off for the both of us.”
While Sorg has not yet resolved his internal conflict, he knows that he will continue to pursue his creative passions and plans to use the prize money from the competition to fuel this journey as he continues to decide what his future holds.
“I’m still at a crossroads, but I think this entire experience this past weekend, everything that came with it has just solidified the message that I tried to convey in my film, that the journey is the dream,” Sorg said. “I still don’t know where I’m going to be in five or 10 years, but I’m going forward with excitement and just taking it one day at a time.”
Sorg said he hopes viewers take away one salient message from the film: “The most fulfilling path is often the one you’re already on. Trust your dreams, embrace your passions and find love in your current journey.”