Follow us on Instagram @badstudentfilmfest for updates & info!

Please only submit if you might be able to attend our live event on August 16, 2025 in Los Angeles.

We all have a project or two we're not exactly proud of. At Bad Student Film Fest, we celebrate our roots. Join us for an evening of nostalgia, hilarity and the cringiest student films you've ever seen.

We dust off and showcase old student films & home videos made by people who have - hopefully - improved their craft and now work professionally in the film industry.

I know what you're thinking: "Wait a second! Why would I subject myself to that kind of public humiliation??"

Don't worry. We're not laughing at you. We're laughing WITH you!

We have three goals at Bad Student Film Fest. First, to share a big cathartic laugh as we come terms with our past - think of it as group therapy. Second, to provide a fun, booze-fueled networking mixer to our attending filmmakers - this is a great opportunity to promote your more recent projects! And third, to remind ourselves just how far we've come and provide a little inspiration for your next filmmaking venture.

The purpose of this event is to gather together under one roof and enjoy the company of our fellow filmmakers. The 2026 festival will take place on August 15 at the Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. We do two blocks of short films, 75 minutes each, followed by an afterparty.

We are a not-for-profit event. Any money from submission fees will go to making the festival better. We'll have cheap beer & wine, a step-and-repeat and a handful of fun / silly awards.

Awards & Prizes

Our ridiculous awards change every year and shouldn't be taken seriously. Winners receive a "golden" VHS tape trophy. Here's a list of our 2025 awards:

Jim Henson's Dick Award Best puppetry of a severed penis
Days of Our Lives Award Best-worst dramatic dialogue
Tommy Wiseau Award Best-worst writer - director - actor combo.
Gaspar No-No Award Best cheap imitation of Enter the Void
Nepo Baby Award Filmmaker most related to the festival directors
Jar Jar Binks Award Best-worst visual effects
Shut Up Dad Award Best use of a teacher or parent
Child Labor Award Best use of a younger sibling
Werner Herzog Award Most factually dubious documentaryrector)
Congressional Leadership Award For a young filmmaker demonstrating excellence in the political sciences For a film that devolves into incomprehensible symbolism in the third act and probably could have been a couple minutes shorter.

Rules & Terms

We realize many of your old projects only exist on YouTube or physical media. We can work with that! Send us the link, or if needed, we might be able to help you digitize physical media. Let us know!

We'll consider any video under 15 minutes. Send your short films, music videos, sketches, documentaries, backyard wrestling tapes, whatever! If your project is too long but otherwise awesome, we might be able to help you edit it down to fit our very tight program.

Films must be at least 5 years old. The older, the better. Projects from college are fantastic, but we also encourage you to dig deep for those ancient relics from high school and perhaps even middle school. Call mom & dad and tell them to mail you those tapes!

It doesn't have to be a class project. Stuff you made just for fun is perfect.

You must be interested in attending the August screening in Los Angeles, CA. Plans change, jobs book, we get it. But the point is for us all to gather together under one roof!

It is not necessarily a requirement, but strong preference will be given to people who are still making films or working in the industry. Tell us in your submission notes what you do professionally or if you have a current project you're working on.

If you need help digitizing your film, let us know. We might be able to assist with discs and tapes. And again, if your project is a little long / boring but has good moments, some light re-editing is totally acceptable. We're also happy to assist with audio retouching and subtitling when necessary.
10 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Hungyu Kuo

    The best film festival I have ever attended, not a single dull film in the lineup. The programming team is phenomenal; even Sundance could not curate this brilliantly. And the audience? Absolutely the best crowd I have ever experienced, everyone was so engaged and full of energy.

    August 2025
    Helpful
  • Tony Bloodworth

    Absolutely, loved it. I am happy I chose this film festival as my first. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, and the viewing was fun and hilarious. It was the best feeling in the world to sit in a theater full of people and see their reaction to a film you made. Looking forward to doing it again soon.

    August 2025
    Helpful
  • Matthew Cassani

    Stephen & Danielle had quick and helpful communication throughout, I always felt they were available for any question. The event itself was so fun, very inspiring and welcoming. No one felt like they were competing, it was just a night of laughs and kinship. So great to hear that everyone I spoke to who had a film playing had kept up filmmaking after all these years.

    August 2025
    Helpful
  • Daniel Maggio

    This has been HANDS DOWN the best film festival I've ever participated in. The worst part of any film festival is taking oneself too seriously and getting stuck in insufferable conversation. That's impossible here. I met the most amazing, funny, talented and sweet people at BAD STUDENT. If you live in LA, sometimes you can think, "Where are all the weirdos?" Well, here they are. They needed the Bad Student beacon to attract them all. Can't wait for the next one.

    May 2025
    Helpful
  • Corey Podell

    Absolutely phenomenal. Best idea and best execution, what a special event. Im rummaging through more old footage in the hopes I can find something to submit again. Highly recommend submitting - the cringier the better!

    September 2024
    Helpful