The BCSD Student Film Festival is open to all enrolled district students from grades Pre-K to 12th. All students need to take part is access to a smartphone — and their ideas!

With the help of friends, family, or teachers, students can make a short film no more than 2 minutes 15 seconds long (including credits) and submit it to be included in this year’s Student Film Festival!

For high school students only, this year we are able to show a limited number of longer shorts (up to 4 minutes) upon our review team’s approval. While we can’t guarantee we can show all longer films at the festival, we encourage you to submit your project if you’re already working on a film with a bigger scope.

Make sure your film is shot horizontally / in landscape orientation! Work on your video project from now until the submission deadline of Sunday, April 13, 2025.

We can accept ONE film project per student, where that student is the lead filmmaker. A project is defined as one film file that meets the length and content requirements of the festival. It is OK for students to be involved with other film festival projects in a supporting role.

The screening for elementary student films will be Friday, May 16, 2025 at 6:30pm, at the beautiful Seeger Theater at Beacon High School! And NEW this year, the middle school and high school films screening will be held on Monday, May 19, 2025 at 7:00pm at the fabulous Beacon Movie Theater, our presenting sponsor!

More details to follow about these epic red carpet events, so stay tuned! In the meantime, happy filmmaking!

The maximum film length for each submission is 2 minutes 15 seconds (including credits). This is a strict rule to ensure we can show everyone’s films. Due to the volume of films we receive, students may be the lead filmmaker on only one film submission each year, though they may assist on other students’ projects.

We assume most students will use a smartphone to make their film / video project. File formats we can accept include .mov files (for Apple) and .mp4 (for Android). The submission deadline for the 2025 Student Film Festival is April 13. A parent or caregiver must complete the submission form to give consent for their child to participate in the film festival.

A parent or caregiver is responsible for overseeing their student’s project. Take extra care when filming outside. Family members, friends, and teachers are welcome to help students make their films! When you are ready to submit your project, complete this form and follow the email instructions.

Students are welcome to embrace their favorite film genre (comedy, drama, action, mystery, etc.), create a non-fiction documentary, or capture abstract or non-narrative ideas!

Feel free to explore:

–Documentary topics such as local history, a favorite place in Beacon, a challenge you have overcome, or an interview with someone you look up to in the community. You could also capture ideas like a “day in the life,” senior year memories, Bulldog spirit!

–Narrative films including comedies, dramas, action films, mysteries, thrillers, fan fiction, spoofs, and more!

–Other non-narrative films like abstract or figurative artwork set to music, or an original music video. The sky's the limit!

As far as the style of the film, feel free to explore live action, animation, stop-motion animation, or a mix!

As the BCSD Student Film Festival is a community event open to families (often with younger siblings in attendance), we've established content guidelines to help ensure a positive experience for all. Please carefully review the below guidelines before submitting your film. All films submitted to the festival are reviewed by the committee prior to acceptance; we reserve the right not to include film content that could be deemed inappropriate for our audiences.

We understand that some student filmmakers may wish to explore more mature themes in their films. If you are unsure whether your film idea would be appropriate (especially if you are a high school student submitting a 4-minute film for consideration), you can email us at filmfest@forbeaconschools.org and someone from our review committee will be glad to discuss with you.

Content Guidelines:

–All film entries must be the original work of the submitting student(s), created for the Film Festival. No artificial intelligence (AI) or excerpts from existing copyrighted / commercial video content (e.g., movie clips) may be used.

–All Elementary School student films should generally adhere to G or PG ratings as defined by the Motion Picture Association, withthe addition of the below guidelines.

–All Middle School and High School student films should generally adhere to G, PG, or PG-13 ratings as defined by the Motion Picture Association, with the addition of the below guidelines.

–No hate speech: Films promoting violence, discrimination, or hate speech based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic are strictly prohibited.

–No explicit content: Profanity (expletives/swear words), nudity, graphic sexual content, and illegal activities (e.g., drug use, underage drinking) are not allowed.

–No graphic violence: The depiction of realistic violent acts (toward oneself, other people, or animals) that may be distressing to some viewers is not permitted.

We encourage student filmmakers to be creative and explore diverse themes within these guidelines. If you have any questions about the content guidelines, please feel free to email us.

Yes! It may sound daunting, but even the simplest story idea shot with basic camerawork can be very powerful. Our inspiration for this event came from Michael Bridenstine, a middle school teacher in NYC. He founded and co-produces the P.S. 187 Film Festival at his son’s school each year. Kids as young as 1st graders have submitted their films to the festival. They have screened over 350 films to date! Michael has some encouraging tips for students, families, and supporting teachers on how to make a great short film here: www.187ff.com/

Head over to our Store page, where you can find awesome shirts, hats, bags, and other merch featuring our awesome octopus and dragon mascots!

The 2025 BCSD Student Film Festival will take place on Friday, May 16 (for elementary films), and Monday, May 19 (for middle school and high school student films).

All student filmmakers will receive a free VIP pass good for both screenings! We can’t wait to see you for another exciting red carpet event and celebration of student creativity!

We’d love to have you participate! If the Film Festival is something that would tie in well with your classes’ work and you would like to incorporate a film project (either individual or groups), let the Foundation know and we can provide additional resources to support you. Email is the best way to reach our team: filmfest@forbeaconschools.org

Sponsoring the Film Festival is a great way to support students and build your brand, too! If you are an individual or with a business and you’d like to become a sponsor for this special community event, please contact the Foundation Film Festival team by emailing filmfest@forbeaconschools.org or calling us at 845-288-3009.

We have a range of sponsorship opportunities, each of which offers exclusive benefits, broad reach, and exposure to an engaged audience of more than 6,000 local residents. Your support will make this magical event sparkle and will advance the work of the Foundation! Thank you!