Synopsis

This documentary follows students in Racine, Wisconsin, as they prepare for the city's elaborate, community-wide prom celebration. Their experiences include choosing formalwear, planning grand entrances, and navigating the hopes and anxieties of graduation. The event grew from a local effort to provide teenagers with a safer alternative after prom-related tragedy, transforming prom night into a large-scale civic tradition involving multiple high schools and the wider community.

Factoids & Trivia

• Racine's unusual "mega prom" was established by the city's Rotary Club after an alcohol-related car accident involving teenagers. It was intended as a safer post-prom celebration.

• The event brings together students from seven Racine high schools for a citywide celebration, with parades, red-carpet arrivals, and an all-night gathering.

• The film was expanded from a 17-minute short documentary. The short won Best Documentary at the Wisconsin Film Festival before the feature-length version was released in 2006.

• The production was filmed entirely on location in Racine and shot using digital video.

• The project was later re-edited into short episodes for the online video service Current TV, although those episodes were never broadcast.