Rochester Teen Film Festival

WXXI Public Media and the Little Theatre are proud to announce and invite entries for the Rochester Teen Film Festival, a collaborative, juried media competition for youth in the Greater Rochester region and beyond. 

• 2023 Rochester Teen Film Festival Event Flyer (PDF)
• Entry Form
• About the Rochester Teen Film Festival

Film Submissions Guidelines: 

• Films and videos are created by high school teens (ages 13-18 years old)
• All genres are welcome
• Videos must be appropriate for school-based audiences
• Videos cannot exceed 10 minutes

Purpose: The purpose of the festival is to honor the work of urban, suburban, and rural teen filmmakers and give young people an authentic opportunity to participate in a real film festival. 

Awards & Judging: All submissions are judged by a jury and finalists have been selected to have their films shown at the Little Theatre. The young filmmakers selected as part of this year’s festival will also have a chance to earn one of the following four awards, each of which comes with a cash prize:

The Philip Seymour Hoffman Award honors the life and legacy of the late Academy Award-winning actor and Fairport, New York native. The annual award is given to the teen whose film is chosen by the judges as “Best of Fest.” The award was established in association with the Hoffman family with funds raised during The Little Theatre’s Philip Seymour Hoffman Tribute Film Series.

Alex Ketchek Award for Best Animated Film is presented by the Ketchek family and Animatus Studio. Alex Ketchek, a 2010 Rochester Teen Film Festival finalist, tragically passed away in 2013.  

The Jack Garner Award for Best Director is a new annual award in the memory of long-time RTFF jury member and much beloved and spirited national film critic. It is given through the support of Bonnie Garner and the Garner family.

The Marilyn O’Connor Award
is presented to a film that addresses a social issue through the lens of compassion, equity and social justice. Marilyn O’Connor has never crossed a picket line. She’s been fighting for equality and justice as a youth, a parent, a public defender and Family Court Judge. She was recognized for mentoring young women in the practice of law as the recipient of the NYS Women’s Bar Association’s Betty Weinberg Ellerin’s Mentoring Award and was one of the founders of the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys, an organization that supports and encourages women in the legal community.

Dr. Brian Bailey & Heather Layton provide funding for the Jack Garner Award for Best Director and the Marilyn O’Connor Award

Submission Form

• Copyright & Fair Use
• Interviewing: The Art of Asking Questions
• How to Properly Focus
• Been There, Lit That
• Get That B-Roll
• (Make Your Footage) Pop
• Mic Check 1,2

Royalty Free Music (free music available for independent filmmakers)

• Moby
• Yummy Sounds
• Filmmusic
• Soundstripe

Sparking Ideas (from PBS American Portrait)

• "You Don't Know What it's Like to..."
• "My American Story Began When..."
• "I Stand For..."
• More story prompts

Strategies to Elevate Student Voice

• Who Tells Your Story
• Helping Students Create Authentic Stories
• KQED Youth Media Challenge Resources

The Rochester Teen Film Festival and showcase event is made possible with support from:

Past Festival Finalists

Preview past films submitted to the Rochester Teen Film Festival:  

2022 Award Winners 

2021 Festival Video Playlist | 2020 Best of Fest 2011-2019 | 2019 Festival Video Playlist | 2018 Festival Video Playlist | 2017 Festival Video Playlist | 2016 Festival Video Playlist | 2015 Festival Video Playlist | 2014 Festival Video Playlist | 2013 Festival Video Playlist | 2012 Festival Video Playlist | 2011 Festival Video Playlist

Free Teen Animation Workshop

THE WORKSHOP IS NOW CLOSED. All spaces are full

When: August 3, 2023 1-3pm

REGISTER Registration is now closed

This workshop is offered through Animatus Studio

The Animation Workshop event is made possible with support from: