Girls’ Night
Anya Westrich smiles as she looks at the character makeup Eli Hayden did for her at the first shoot for the student short film “Girls’ Night” on Nov. 2, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minn. Westrich commented that, in the 80s-inspired outfit, hair and makeup, she looked like some old photos of her mother.
Meredith DeCoux at the corner of 17th Ave SE and University Ave SE in Minneapolis, Minn., leading her crew from Ford Hall, where they picked up their filming equipment, to Bordertown Coffee, the location of their first shoot on Nov. 2, 2025. The crew got permission to film outside Bordertown after hours, but were not allowed to go inside or block the front door.
Eli Hayden, left, and Grant Hayden cover the camera and lights with umbrellas to shield them from the rain outside Bordertown Coffee in Minneapolis, Minn., on Nov. 2, 2025. Eli invited her brother, Grant, to help shoot “Girls’ Night” because, “We need all hands on deck. He’s got hands– and we’ve got the deck!” StudioU president Genevieve Gray shows member Bahjo Elmi how to wrap an XLR cable in a way that will prevent damage in the long term at Bruininks Hall in Minneapolis, Minn. on Oct. 9, 2025. Equipment Corner that day was split into two groups, one for cable wrapping and one for lens handling.
Jaden Fiedler holds still while Eli Hayden applies her character makeup outside outside Bordertown Coffee in Minneapolis, Minn., on Nov. 2, 2025.