SCREEN High School Film Festival returns to the Aero Theater in Santa Monica for its 19th year.

We would love to count you and your students among our invitees, to celebrate your films and enjoy an evening with passionate film lovers like you.

If you have submitted in the past, we would love to see more! If you have been accepted in the past, we loved sharing your work with others and would love the opportunity to do so again! And if you never submitted before, we want to help MORE people to see YOUR work!

Last year we received many great films showcasing the rich creativity of high schools from throughout Southern California, including a number of new contributing schools. Count yourself as one of the 2026 participants by submitting your work today!

Awards & Prizes

Awards & Prizes:

Best Cinematography
Best Directing
Best Writing
Best Editing
Best of Fest
FAN Favorite

Rules & Terms

Rules & Terms
1) Films must have been filmed, wrapped, edited, and completed between the months of September 2024 and February 2026 by SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

2) Films must have been directed, written, and edited by high school students only. Films made by high school seniors during the 2024-2025 academic year are eligible only if the films were shot prior to college enrollment.

3) Films must be under 15 minutes in length

4) Submissions accepted via FilmFreeway. Films should be the highest HD quality you can provide. If a lesser quality file is submitted and you are selected, we will require you to send a higher quality version prior to the festival.

5) Must be submitted by January 29, 2026, but we highly encourage you to submit before the regular deadline to give your film the best chance at being selected.

6) By submitting a film to the SCREEN Film Festival, filmmakers affirm that they have cleared all rights to materials within their films including but not limited to music rights, actors releases, etc.

7) Filmmakers who are selected to the SCREEN Film Festival allow their film to be shared on youtube in a compilation reel, after the festival takes place.
4 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Maya Chrystie

    This was the first film festival I submitted to on my own, and it was definitely worth it. Thank you for selecting FLASHBACK! For best written!!!!

    April 2025
    Helpful
  • Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts

    We were very proud to be invited to this festival! The films that were shown were completed at a very high caliber and submitted by many of the top media high schools in the nation! It was wonderful to see the films shown on a screen in a historic theater as well! Thank you to everybody from the SCREEN Festival who hosted this fantastic event!

    March 2024
    Helpful
  • Lauren Smith

    So honored to have my film "Room" be accepted and win the Best Editing award! Great festival and one that all California High School Filmmakers should submit to.

    March 2024
    Helpful
  • David Du

    This is a great festival!! Very thrilled and grateful that my animated film Incent City was selected. Thank you!

    November 2021
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