Welcome to the first annual Bulldog Cinema Film Festival! On April 4, 2026, the Bulldog Cinema Film Festival will present its collaborative effort of the West York Daily Fetch and Crying Light Studios, created to celebrate local filmmakers of all ages in the York, Pennsylvania area. All York County residents are welcome to attend the festival and highly encouraged to participate!

Submissions are open to those living in York County or former West York Daily Fetch cast members (see complete rules & terms for further explanation). There is no fee to submit entries into the Film Festival.

The event will take place at the West York Area High School in the Auditorium. Filmmakers chosen for the festival will be given free admission to the event. Admissions for other attendees is $5 for adults and $3 for students.

Awards & Prizes

Best Junior Category (up to current high school students)
Best Senior Category (anyone who is older than high school age)
Best Daily Fetch Category (West York Daily Fetch cast members and alumni)
Audience Choice Award

All submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges, consisting of professionals and/or film production college students. This panel will select the top films to be viewed the night of the event. Films can earn a maximum score of 100; 25 points for each of the following areas:

1: Writing/storytelling
The central idea should be engaging and instantly understandable. The story must feature well-developed characters with clear motivations, goals, strengths, and flaws. And finally, the story possesses conflict and keeps the story moving.

2: Cinematography
The film should possess key components of good cinematography, including lighting, composition, camera movement, camera angles, focus and shot choice. Visual and audio quality should be high quality.

3: Editing
Editing decisions must serve the story, moving it forward logically. Visual storytelling (b-roll, transitions, and effects) enhance the film.

4: Overall audience engagement
Does the film grab the viewer’s attention from start to finish?.

Written feedback from the judges for each film will be provided after the event has concluded. Scores and feedback will be based on the professional opinions and judgment of the event judges.

Rules & Terms

1: Because this is a high school hosted event, all content must be school appropriate. Content that may not appear within the shorts include, but are not limited to, gore, excessive violence, the promotion of drugs, smoking, vaping, alcohol, and excessive profanity. Submission does not guarantee a place in the festival.

2: Films must be between 1 and 7 minutes in length.

3: The use of AI in submissions to the festival is strictly prohibited.

4: Entries are eligible only to residents of York County, Pennsylvania, or former cast members of the West York Daily Fetch.

5: All content must have been created from January 2025 to February 2026.

6: Use of copyrighted material of any kind (music, video, images, etc.) is not permitted.
Film scores and feedback are final and not eligible for appeal.

7: The Bulldog Cinema Film Festival does not require premiere status and allows films that have been previously posted online.

8: The Bulldog Cinema Film Festival will make every effort to screen as many films as possible at the film festival, but the exact number of films screened that evening are at the discretion of festival directors.

9: By entering into the Bulldog Cinema Film Festival you give the West York Area School District, the West York Daily Fetch, and Crying Light Studios permission to contact you regarding your entry, publicize your film in promotional materials (including but not limited to, social media posts, other advertisements, etc.) and use your entry for any purpose related to the film festival and/or broadcast your film both partially and/or in its entirety.

10: Film Festival reserves the right to remove any film from the festival due to time constraints or that they feel contradicts the rules of entry stated above. Late submissions will automatically be disqualified.

11: By participating and/or attending in the Film Festival, I hereby release, discharge, and hold harmless the West York Area School District, the West York Daily Fetch, and Crying Light Studios, its officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability, claims, or damages arising from my participation in the Film Festival.