The New Jersey Young Filmmakers’ Festival (NJYFF) is a project of the Thomas A. Edison Media Arts Consortium.

The mission of NJYFF is to support and promote the work of young emerging filmmakers, who either live in or attend school in the State of New Jersey. NJYFF gives students the opportunity to submit their films to a highly respected and long-running film festival and have it evaluated by prominent representatives in the field of film and media. Since the very beginning of New Jersey Young Filmmakers in 1974, the purpose of the festival has been to recognize, celebrate, and encourage emerging young talent in New Jersey, the state in which Thomas Edison first developed the motion picture.

Prizes include:
NJYFF Plaques commemorating the top-award winners.
Certificates
T-Shirts

The New Jersey Young Filmmakers Festival seeks short films and videos ONLY from students with a home base in NJ. NJYFF is an open-genre festival accepting films in all categories including Animation/Stop Motion, Documentary/Broadcast, Experimental, Narrative, and hybrids.

ELIGIBLE FILMMAKERS MUST EITHER LIVE IN OR ATTEND SCHOOL IN NJ. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Filmmakers attending middle school, high school, college, and/or independent directors from age 12 through 26 may enter. This festival is specifically designed to support and feature works from New Jersey based young filmmakers.

FILMMAKERS MUST LIST BOTH THE SCHOOL THEY ATTEND AND THEIR HOME MAILING ADDRESS, ONE OF THESE ADDRESSES MUST BE BASED IN NEW JERSEY.

All films that include a music track, must either have permission from the artist or use royalty-free music, or original music. All music included in the soundtrack must be listed in the credits. Films employing copyrighted music without express permission from the artist will be disqualified.

Film Submission running times:

Middle School: Total running time for films MUST BE 5 min. or less.

High School & College/Independent: Total running time for films MUST BE 10 min. or less.

Opening Date for Submissions: Wednesday, February 1, 2024

Deadline to Upload Entries – Friday, May, 3, 2024

Awards Notification for filmmakers – Monday, May 20, 2024

NJYFF Festival Premiere 2024 - Saturday June 15, 2024 - Barrymore Film Center, Fort Lee, NJ

Submission Guidelines:

Films must be entered directly on FilmFreeway’s NJ Young Filmmakers’ Festival page. EARLY BIRD SUBMISSIONS February 1 - March 1, 2024 - A $5 entry fee is required for each film submitted, payable on the FilmFreeway website.

REGULAR SUBMISSIONS March 2 - May 3, 2024 - A $10 Entry fee is required for each film submitted, payable on the FilmFreeway website.

FINAL DEADLINE TO SUBMIT YOUR FILMS - FRIDAY MAY 3, 2024. A downloadable link must be provided for each film submitted!

FILMMAKERS MUST ENTER THEIR MAILING ADDRESS PROVING NJ RESIDENCY OR ATTENDANCE AT A NJ COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY. CURRENT CONTACT INFO MUST INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS AND A WORKING CELL NUMBER FOR TEXT MESSAGES.

FILMMAKERS ARE REQUIRED TO: Upload film stills, work descriptions and filmmaker bios in the space provided by FilmFreeway. If these rules are not followed, or submissions are incomplete, the entry will be disqualified.

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  • Rachel Wintemberg

    This is a great festival! The venue at the Thomas Edison West Orange Historical Park is really cool. They show all honorable mentions in the visitors center and the the awards ceremony and screening takes place under a big tent outdoors.

    September 2022