Do It Your Damn Self (DIYDS) National Youth Film Festival is the longest running youth-produced festival in the country, drawing over 800 youth and adults to public screenings every year.

Founded in 1996 by six Cambridge teens who felt misrepresented in the media and wanted to do something about it, the festival is a champion of social justice in focus youth filmmakers who want to see change and make it happen.

DIYDS!! is a product of the Community Art Center’s Teen Media Program. The Teen Media Program youth understood that, “if you want something done, you gotta do it your damn self.”

Festival Information:

Venue: Harvard Art Museums
Location: 32 Quincy Street Cambridge, MA 02138
Date: Friday, June 7 2024
Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Venue: Kendall/MIT Open Square
Location: 292 Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142
Date: Saturday, June 8 2024
Time: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Awards & Prizes

Selected Winners will experience a fun filled weekend in Cambridge Masschusetts from the perspective of our DIYDS!! teen crew members. You will receive flight and hotel accommodations generously provided by Harvard Art Museums and Cambridge Marriott. You will also spend the weekend exploring activities catered toward teens . Winners will receive personalized award certificates and trophies created especially for the festival.

Rules & Terms

Looking for, but not limited to, entries in the following categories:

• Social Justice (politics, diversity, activism, LGBTQ+, gender and race equity, etc.)
• Youth Perspectives (leadership, teen violence, relationships, family, education, etc.)
• Experimental Films that are abstract in nature but feature a perspective or voice not commonly heard from


Eligibility:

• Films playtime under 15 minutes made by teens aged 13-20 (DIYDS!!)
• The preferred format is an electronic submission uploaded as a 4k/high-definition video on Vimeo or Dropbox with downloadable links
• A maximum of 5 videos may be submitted by any one organization or program; only one film per group can be selected.
• International submissions are welcome.

Preference may be given to:

• Groups or filmmakers that can attend the film festival (June 6-9, 2024 in Boston & Cambridge, MA)
• Groups or filmmakers that have not been featured at DIYDS!! before
• Groups or filmmakers from low-income backgrounds or minority groups (youth of color, LBGTQ, disabled, etc.)

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email our team at diydsfilmfest@gmail.com or visit us at www.diyds.org

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DIYDS!!
Community Art Center
119 Windsor Street
Cambridge, MA 02139