Story and videos by Li-Cheng Tay, Photos by Page Level
In:Site Staff Reporters

With the Seattle International Film Festival well under way, the spotlight in the local film community has once again been shifted to emerging new talents. If you thought filmmaking was for grumpy old men who sit in chairs labeled “Director”, think again.

Budding at the center of a new batch of youth filmmakers are the Stipek Brothers. Dylan, Jesse and Miles are 20-year-old identical triplets from Monroe, Washington whose passion for movies has turned the trio into creative cinematic architects. Having already made several films, their latest, Through A Dark Wood, received major success at the National Film Festival For Talented Youth in April 2009.

Dylan Stipek

Despite that success, the brothers haven’t yet made the jump to full-time filmmaking. Each, though, has been awarded entrepreneurial scholarships worth $45,000 through the McKelvey Foundation in New York City. They currently attend the University of Washington and attest to the difficulties of balancing schoolwork with their artistic pursuits. So they work around their classes, trying to shoot on weekends after completing their schoolwork.

The triplets made their film debut in fifth grade as part of a book review assignment. Their friends were roped-in as actors and a boom box provided the soundtrack, all of which was recorded on a clunky VHS video camera.

Jesse Stipek

Not all that much has changed since then. The brothers’ friends still star in their films, albeit with much better training in drama and acting. Industry-standard film equipment and editing software has replaced their old VHS and boom box combo. They purchased the expensive equipment by working odd jobs and pooling their money.

As Jesse puts it:

Miles Stipek

“Since there’s three of us, and we’re all interested in the same topic. We were all willing to just combine all of that money together.”

The brothers are almost entirely self-taught, and they advise emerging filmmakers to watch films and read about the subject as much as possible.

When asked about the possibility of separate careers, the trio’s response was heart-warming:

“As far as we’re concerned, we want to stay together, and that’s really what makes us who we are.”

To preview some of the films the brother’s have made: Trico Films.