After two years away due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Light House Studio will return to the Paramount Theater for our 21st Annual Youth Film Festival on Friday, September 9.
The festival celebrates the art of storytelling and highlights students’ films created during Light House Studio’s many school year workshops, community partnerships, and award-winning Summer Film Academy over the past year.
Youth Film Festival attendees will be part of a first-time viewing experience of student films before they hit the national film festival circuit. To date for the 2021-22 festival circuit, Light House Studio has been honored with a total of 38 film festival acceptances, with 20 unique student films being shown at 26 different festivals, and 11 awards!
We are currently finalizing the festival line-up, and there are so many excellent films that have been created in the past year. The Youth Film Festival will truly showcase it all, from ghastly zombie chases, to documentaries that unravel our Downtown Mall history, to music videos written and performed by residents of juvenile detention centers, to films that tackle important issues including anti-tobacco, climate change and the pursuit of social justice. Most of the films have running times under 5 minutes, giving us an opportunity to showcase a wide variety of work.
Event tickets are now available through the Paramount Theater box office, with the opportunity to purchase a VIP ticket that includes a pre-show party, as well as “show only” tickets. The Youth Film Festival is Light House Studio’s most important fundraiser, providing 25% of our annual budget. Every ticket sold ensures we
can keep providing an exceptional and unique filmmaking education to the Charlottesville community.
ABOUT
For over twenty years, Light House Studio has been equipping young people with the skills and confidence to tell their stories and build community through collaborative filmmaking. We seek to foster a community where Charlottesville’s young people flourish as students, storytellers, and citizens. In 2021, Light House taught 121 workshops to 1,163 students, resulting in 413 completed films; partnered
with 55 local nonprofits and schools; had 39 student films accepted to 23 different film festivals, with 5 films receiving awards; and provided more than 819 scholarships, allowing 71% of students to attend at free or reduced cost. 98% of our students reported improved creativity and collaboration skills; 95% improved storytelling, and 96% improved planning and organization skills.
For more information, contact: Kristen Dillehunt, (434) 293-6992 kristen@lighthousestudio.org.
