The BCSD Student Film Festival is open to all enrolled district students from grades K-12. All students need to take part is access to a smartphone.

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

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.

There will be a range of filmmaking workshops in the community from January to the end of March to help students of all ages create a project for the festival.

The screening for elementary student films will be Friday, May 16, 2025 the screening for middle school student films will be Saturday, May 17, 2025. Both of these festival events will take place at the Seeger Theater at Beacon High School. The high school screening details are coming soon!

More details to follow about this epic red carpet event, 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.

The BCSD Student Film Festival is a community celebration of our students’ creativity, technical prowess, and powers of imagination! Content submitted for the festival should be suitable for general community viewing. The film festival committee reserves the right not to include film content that could be deemed inappropriate for general audiences.

We are unable to screen films depicting realistic violence or mature adult content. All films submitted to the festival are reviewed by the committee prior to acceptance.

In terms of the types of films we can accept, students are 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;

-Narrative films including comedies, dramas, fan fiction, spoofs, or stop-motion animation;

-Other non-narrative films including abstract or figurative work set to music. The sky's the limit!

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), Saturday, May 17 (for middle school student films), and we are still finalizing screening plans for the high school screening.

All student filmmakers will receive a VIP pass good for both screenings! Exact screening times and the link to our ticketing website will be posted in April. 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!