Refractions is a student-run film festival located at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy NY, offering an exciting opportunity for college students from the Capital Region to showcase their passion for filmmaking. Open but not limited to all local college students, the festival provides a platform to submit their Short film projects for a chance to be presented to a live audience, allowing them to share their creative work with a broader community. Refractions celebrates emerging talent and gives aspiring filmmakers a valuable opportunity to gain exposure and recognition.

In its second year, the Refractions Film Festival continues to honor the creativity and talent of Hudson Valley Community College students. This year however, we are pleased to invite any college student from the Capital Region who is passionate about filmmaking, or experimental film making. We look forward to welcoming student filmmakers to this year's festival.

The Refractions Film Festival offers a platform for aspiring student filmmakers that are currently attending a two, four year college in the Capital Region, so that they can have the chance to exhibit their work and nurture their filmmaking aspirations.

Join Us for a Night of Film and Community!
If you have any questions and or concerns please contact
filmmakersclub@hvcc.edu

Awards & Prizes

Awards/Prizes

Best of show & $150 Gift Card

Upcoming Filmmaker & $100 Gift Card

Category Awards
Best Animation Award & $75 Gift Card
Best Documentary Award & $75 Gift Card
Best Experimental Award & $75 Gift Card
Best Narrative Award & $75 Gift Card

Jury Awards
Best Cinematography Award & $50 Gift Card
Best Screenplay Award & $50 Gift Card
Beat Actor Award & $50 Gift Card
Best Actress Award & $50 Gift Card

Rules & Terms

By submitting a film to the Refractions Film Festival, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

The individual submitting a film must be a current student at a Community College or University within a five-hour radius of New York State.

The individual submitter must be the director, producer, or creator of the submitted work.

To verify student eligibility, all submissions must be accompanied by appropriate documentation, such as a student email address and any additional information that Upcoming Filmmakers and or Refractions Film Festival may request.

Submitted films must adhere to a rated PG-13 rating and have a maximum runtime of 15 minutes. (including credits) Films must have been created no earlier than January 1st, 2023.

The film submitter must possess the requisite rights and permissions to authorize the screening and utilization of their work.

If said submission has any copyrighted material, it is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate disqualification.

The decisions made by our programming team and jury regarding film selection and awards are absolute and non-negotiable.

If selected to screen at the Festival, One recipient from said project must attend the live showing.

Each recipient can only win one award, but multiple contributors to a project can be nominated for a technical award.

The required formats for the film exhibition are mp4 and .mov files, and one of these files must be submitted if selected for screening.

By participating in Refractions Film Festival, the submitter authorizes the Refractions Film Festival, as well as Hudson Valley Community College, and Upcoming Filmmakers to use press materials, posters, catalogs, promotional and distribution materials, as well as the exhibition of the film at the specified location and dates.

The Refractions Film Festival retains the authority to disqualify any project deemed to contain inappropriate content, such as racist or discriminatory themes.

All non-English films must have English subtitles to be evaluated by our programming team. All foreign language films selected to be screened during the festival must have subtitles in English. (If the film is English spoken, English subtitles are not required but recommended)
2 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Victoria Estelle Davison

    Wonderful film festival full of heart and talented filmmakers! Refractions Film Festival was a joy to be part of and to experience. This festival was welcoming to all guests, highlighting many young emerging talents while providing wonderful networking opportunities.

    April 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you for your kind remarks, we are glad you enjoyed Refractions, and we look forward to what comes next

  • Scout Brandes

    A truly welcoming festival for young, aspiring filmmakers. The staff were exceptionally helpful and the festival was thoughtfully organized. Excellent opportunity for emerging talent.

    April 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    We're glad you've enjoyed Refractions. We can't wait to see what you do next.