The Sundance Short Film Festival’s remarkable hidden treasure, “Debaters,” released in January 2025, spotlights writer and director Alex Heller. An Illinoisan pride, Heller’s opera prima “The Year Between” garnered solid reviews from Roger Ebert, among other prestigious film critic sites. To make the short film even closer to home, the movie director disclosed that the core of the storyline in “Debaters” is based on her tenure as a debate judge at the suburban Stevenson Highschool, located in Lincolnshire, which added a layer of familiarity to her work and gives the film a relatable nature that locals will appreciate. “Debaters” was well received by critic panels and film columnists described by audiences at the Sundance Festival as a best-kept secret.
The ten-minute short features sharp high school students drawn to gather and compete in the congressional debate style among well-qualified and gifted peers. The participants travel from all the corners of the United States to a wealthy area where the school is located. Sripadh Puligilla gives life to Anubhhav, a thoughtful and academically well-prepared teenager who joins the arena of school debates tense and anxious for the first time. On the other hand, the adult characters Bethany, portrayed by J-Smith Cameron’s impressive resume and accolades, included Gerri from the HBO award-winning show “Succession,” and Ted, embodied by Keneth Lonergan this time in front of the camera, unlike most of his career where he was known for directing and working as a playwright are looking at the brilliance of well off students like Anubhhav as one trick pony, a privileged out of touch with reality youngster that can talk the talk when debating about minimal wage but indeed according to Ted and Bethany can’t walk the walk which creates a break down in communication and a thirst to see the student failed in his attempt to make the case about a bill for minimum wage a topic that is to close to home for both adult judges that live paycheck to paycheck and don’t see in the debating chamber a genuine understanding of the topic discussed due to their affluent lifestyle and background. The film’s direct and honest depiction of tangible everyday experiences in high schools across the country put on the spotlight the dichotomy of the life of the adults in the judging seat and the advantageous and promising future of the students that they have to evaluate. It was a solid film worth showing at schools nationwide when it becames available to spark conversation.