Date: March 18, 2025
Kankakee Community College will present the movie, Never Not Yours at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 3 in the Auditorium.
The movie is free and the public is invited. A writer and director of the film, John Klein, will attend the showing and will take questions afterward. Steve Kniss also wrote and directed Never Not Yours.
In the movie, 30-something siblings Michael, Ellie, and James, at the invite of their retired parents Jonathan and Maddie, travel to visit them at their old family cabin, without a clear reason as to why they were brought there for the weekend. While Michael tries to be the level-headed and mature figure and Ellie wrestles with indecision while trying to stay out of the fracas, James – ever the black sheep of the family – pokes and prods and plays at every turn. With their communication already seeming to fray as a family unit, tensions and chaos ensue when Jonathan and Maddie unexpectedly announce their divorce to the trio, forcing each of the siblings and parents to grapple with their own shifting lives, relationships, and identities.
“This film provides an interesting look at family dynamics through adult children's perspective and serves as a reminder that love transcends family structure,” said Cari Stevenson, Ph.D., KCC psychology professor. “We chose this film because the themes reflect concepts covered in a few of my psychology courses as well as sociology, philosophy, and film classes. But you don't have to be taking one of those classes to enjoy the film; I think different aspects of the film will resonate with just about anyone. And we're thrilled to have the opportunity to hear directly from the filmmaker!”
In a joint statement, Klein and Kniss said “Never Not Yours isn’t simply a film about the dissolution of a marriage after decades of building a family. It’s an exploration of identity, and how it shifts with time. It’s about the work you put in to make your life better, even when you may not know what waits for you around the next corner. And it’s about finding yourself again when everything feels wrong.”
The film won the Jury Award at the 2025 Flathead Lake International Cinemafest, Best Feature Narrative Award at the 2024 Driftless Film Festival, and Indie Spirit Award at the 2024 Naples International Film Festival.
Proceeds from concessions will benefit the KCC Psychology Scholarship. The official trailer
is on YouTube and the Facebook page is www.facebook.com/nevernotyoursfilm.
KCC is located at 100 College Drive in Kankakee. The presentation is sponsored by KCC’s Liberal Arts & Sciences Division.
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Kankakee Community College is an accredited two-year college which awards associate degrees and certificates of completion. KCC prepares students both to transfer to four-year colleges and to enter the workforce. The college also offers continuing education courses and certification training, literacy programs, English as a Second Language and GED preparation. The KCC mission is “Enhancing quality of life through learning.” The college has a Riverfront Campus in Kankakee, South Extension Center in Watseka, North Extension Center in Bradley and Manufacturing and Industrial Technology Center in Kankakee.
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More KCC news and photos are available at our Newsroom, and on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Official college logos are available online.
Contact:
Kari Nugent
Vice president for advancement, marketing, and public relations
815-802-8256
knugent@kcc.edu
Note: Attached imagery from the film has been provided with permission.
