Trevor Morgan, an independent filmmaker, welcomes and addresses a packed theater full of people who turned out to screen his latest film, "Sweet 16." The film featured a cast assembled largely from the western suburbs of Chicago, including local teens and children from St. Charles.

SOUTH BARRINGTON - For many students, beginning the freshman year of high school is the climax of the summer after middle school.



But for Carly Dohner, her first days as a freshman at St. Charles North High School might be a little anti-climactic.



After all, it's not every summer that Dohner, or many other students, for that matter, can say they starred in a movie during their summer vacations.



"After this summer, going back to school has just been depressing," Dohner said, with a laugh.



Saturday, Dohner was among dozens of cast members and hundreds of others who packed four theaters for a private premier screening of the film "Sweet 16," the latest project from independent filmmaker Trevor Morgan.



The approximately half-hour length film featured actors and extras largely from Chicago's western suburbs, including some from the Tri-Cities.



Some scenes in the film were also filmed in St. Charles.



The short film, written and directed by Morgan, followed several high school and middle school age teens as the social order is upended at a suburban private school when three bullied girls turn the tables on the school's popular "mean girls," who very publicly refuse to invite the less popular girls to a 16th birthday party.



Morgan said the elaborate screening at the IPIC Theater in South Barrington, which included a pre-screening meet-and-greet session and an afterparty, was designed to give those who had a part in the film a "premiere-like experience."



Before the lights went down and the movie began rolling, Morgan told the crowd that he "hoped they enjoy it one-eighth as much as I enjoyed being a part of it."



Carly Dohner portrayed one of the popular girls.



Younger sister Kristin Dohner, a student at St. Patrick's Catholic School in St. Charles, also stars in the film.



The St. Charles girls said the two-week filming experience was one they would never forget, as they were able to not only act in front of the camera, but also learned many technical aspects of filmmaking when they weren't in the scene.



"Everyone's so sad it's over," Carly said.



Kristin said some of her friends still don't believe she actually starred in a film.



"I keep telling them it's true, but they just won't believe it," Kristin said.



For that reason, she said she is excited to head back to school.



Others who starred in the film said they had also learned a lot, while making new friends in the process.



"You felt like you were in an actual big-time production," said Ragin Hughes, a junior at Oak Park River Forest High School, who played alongside Carly Dohner. "It was amazing."



That view was echoed by co-star Bean Zaeske, of Downers Grove.



"I think we were all just like, 'Oh, my gosh, we're actually doing this,'" Zaeske said.