Interested in competing this year? Here's all of your information about our Regional LAUNCH Student Film Competition.
LAUNCH Your Story and Watch Your Film Take Flight We are looking for storytellers for the LAUNCH Student Film Competition with short films that are innovative, inventive, creative, original, inspiring, relevant, compelling, entertaining, thought-provoking, funny, and unique.
AIFF LAUNCH submissions can be on any subject or in any film genre - from a stop-motion trip to the moon, to a documentary about the life of a flea or a live-action sibling-comedy, to an experimental glimpse into the color of bubbles. From suspenseful, to silly, to shocking - anything goes, provided it remains within the 5-minute limit.
Do you have a great story to share? Here’s what you need to know:
No entry fee - it’s FREE!
Films need to be 5 minutes or under.
Genres include animation, claymation, documentary, or narrative.
Four Categories: Grades K-5, 6-8, 9-12, and college undergrads. There is also a special category this year that will have it's own award(s): "Confronting Climate Change".
Winners in each of the four categories listed above will receive CASH prizes. There will be a special cash prize for the "Confronting Climate Change" winner.
Making a short film can help build confidence and open a whole new world of expression.
There is a $200 prize for each age-category winner.
There is a $400 prize for the "Confronting Climate Change" winner.
Students must live in Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, or Klamath counties in OR; Del Norte or Siskiyou counties in CA.
Launch winning films from past festivals can be viewed here.
The deadline to submit is February 14, 2023. Please contact us with any questions.
The filmmaker will be notified if they made it into the film festival in mid-March.
Know of someone who may be interested in participating? Download our flyer here to circulate and share. For the Spanish translated flyer, please click here.
AIFF Supports Pride
In addition to the above categories, to celebrate diversity, identity, and discovery through the art of film, AIFF looks for outstanding student-made films that speak to the LGBTQ+ experience.
What Happens Once I Submit my Film?
Everyone who submits a film receives two (2) complimentary film vouchers to AIFF2023!
Winners will have their film screened during the Ashland Independent Film Festival during April, receive a Filmmaker Pass and a VIP Plus One Pass to all films and special events, interact with filmmakers from around the world, and participate in Q&As after the screenings.
“You may think that only experts get their film into the film festival, but that’s not true. What they are really looking for is something that’s creative and that’s made by kids.” - Alex Meyer, 8th-Grade Launch Winner
This project is supported by grants from The Carrico Family Foundation and The Roundhouse Foundation.
Prizes are made possible by the Rotary Club of Ashland-Lithia Springs.
