The first act in the screenplay of Eddy Finch’s life closes with the transformative experience of co-founding a high school film club that dug deep into important, influential films.
The second act opens on Illinois State University’s campus this fall.
An incoming freshman from Arlington Heights, Finch is excited to delve into the world of film in the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts. He plans to major in film and digital media in Illinois State’s newly renamed School of Theatre, Dance, and Film. Finch called the recent addition of “film” to the school’s name “perfect timing.”
“I love that film is the intersection of pretty much every medium of art,” he said, noting additional personal interests in acting, visual arts, drawing, and painting. “I feel like film is where it all overlaps because there are so many steps that go into a finished project that involve almost every artistic discipline.”
“I’m super excited to get started.”
—Eddy Finch
Finch is a cinephile, and some of his favorite movies like Psycho and Fight Club were released long before he was born. He’s acted in theatre productions at Rolling Meadows High School, but “terrible stage fright,” led him to consider other futures behind the camera. Last year he co-founded a film club at his high school with his friend, Kate, who eagerly designed posters and planned screening events.
Finch wondered how he’d contribute to the newly formed club. “I was kind of searching for a thing to do,” he said, lifting his palms with a shrug. “So, I started doing these zines for every screening, with facts about the production and articles about topics relevant to the film we were watching.”
The task allowed him to geek out over movies. Writing about Poltergeist and Inception was fun. But he was especially passionate about creating a publication ahead of a special screening of Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-nominated film based on a 1920s series of murders of Osage people after oil is discovered on tribal land. Themes of justice, greed, and corruption gave him plenty to write about. He sought and received input from professional journalists.
Finch called the zine produced for the screening of Killers of the Flower Moon his “magnum opus.”
“I submitted it with my college applications,” he said. “It kind of became what I was known for. I was the magazine guy.”
Finch knew there were colleges closer to home where he could pursue his passion, but something felt right at Illinois State. “I wanted to be part of a community, and I really didn’t feel like I’d get that commuting back and forth,” he said. “When I came to visit, I loved the community here.”
Finch says he’s excited to explore all the futures in film available to him at Illinois State. “I feel like I have a lot of options,” he said.
He’s especially excited that the end of his life story isn’t yet written. Finch gets to write that himself. It begins this fall at Illinois State.
“I’m super excited to get started,” he said.
Read about all of the students featured in our “Newest Redbirds” series at News.IllinoisState.edu.
