Eleven years ago, writer/director John Hughes died of a heart attack on a Manhattan street corner. The man behind classic 80s teen films, like The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, had been called “the voice of a generation.” To our programming coordinator, Tim Anderson, he was more than that. “Hughes was the J.D. Salinger of my lifetime,” says Anderson, “a single man, who chronicled the painful transition of adolescence.” Hughes’s films are touchstone reminders of what it is like to be awkward and socially inept as we all have tried to navigate the labyrinthine hallways of High School, USA. We look forward to taking you on a journey through teenage truth – perhaps not everyone’s truth, but the truth of a bunch of kids (and a computer-generated female Frankenstein) from the fictional town of Shermer, Illinois.

It’s Samantha Baker’s Sweet Sixteen and no one in her family remembers the important occasion. John Hughes, the writer of National Lampoon’s Vacation, shows how coming-of-age can be full of surprises in this warm-hearted teenage comedy starring Molly Ringwald. She’s your average teen, enduring creepy freshmen, spoiled siblings, confused parents and the Big Blonde on Campus who stands between her and the boy of her dreams. But wait…the day isn’t over yet! This sparkling film features a dynamic score, and outstanding performances by Paul Dooley, Emmy® winner Blanche Baker and Oscar® nominee Justin Henry.