Tribeca Film Fellows

Each year, TFI selects twenty NYC youth filmmakers in grades 11 and 12 to participate in our Tribeca Film Fellows program. Programming includes a creative project, panel discussions, workshops, mentoring by Festival film directors, screenings, and special events.

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Through this fellowship, students gain a deeper knowledge of higher education and career opportunities in media through intensive workshops and direct contact with seasoned filmmakers. They become better educated about the independent film community and the role of international film festivals in the industry. Finally, Fellows forge new positive relationships with peers, educators and Festival filmmakers that will assist with their individual, scholastic and career development. Our Fellows continue to receive support after the Festival through one-on-one college and career counseling in the fall. 

Mentorship: Each Film Fellow is assigned a mentor throughout the program; meetings are one-on-one and are used to guide the Film Fellows through the film proposal process. At the end, film fellows will have a polished proposal to pitch to the Youth Achievement Award panel and, more importantly, a wealth of knowledge garnered from their mentor.

Filmmaking: The Film Fellows receive one-on-one instruction and mentorship in filmmaking to capture the essence of the city they live in through a creative project. Cityscapes, a collaborative-created short film, will be presented as an introduction to Our City, My Story at the Festival.

Youth Achievement Awards: Each year, TFI awards four Film Fellows with $1,500 Youth Achievement Awards that are given based on excellence, sustained effort and the presentation of a film proposal. These awards are intended to make our students’ goals of both filmmaking and higher learning one step closer to becoming a reality.

Screenings: Film Fellows each attend numerous screenings during the Festival—including a variety of shorts, narrative or documentary features, homegrown or foreign, all will add to their film knowledge base.

College Prep: Through the College Prep Workshops, Film Fellows gain insight, real world skills, and one-on-one assistance in finding and applying to college-level film programs and internships. Additionally, current high school seniors are eligible to receive a $150 stipend to be used towards the cost of college applications.

Details: The program runs from March through mid-May. Students who are still in high school or who have not enrolled in a four year college or university by the fall will also participate in the College Prep component.

Application Deadline: February 17, 2012. Download application here.

Eligibility:

• Must be a NYC high school student in grade 11 or 12 (in certain cases, high school graduates who have not yet matriculated into college or are in their first year of a two-year college are also eligible).
• Must have been actively involved with video production for at least 12 months.
• Have a career aspiration in some area of media and/or video/film
• Must submit completed application form, work sample (note: work samples will not be returned) and letter of recommendation (from NYC media organization or film/video program instruction or staff member) by deadline.

Summer Arts Institute

This tuition-free intensive arts program allows for New York City Department of Education public school students entering grades 8-12, to major in dance, theater, vocal music, instrumental music, visual art, film or photography. Frank Sinatra School of the Arts School in Astoria, Queens serves as the home for the Summer Arts Institute this year, which is administered by the New York City Department of Education’s Office of the Arts and Special Projects. The Tribeca Film Institute serves as the cultural partner for the filmmaking component of the Summer Arts Institute.

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Young filmmakers collaborate with instructors and receive one-on-one attention as they work towards completing their final group and personal projects. Students create, challenge, and explore the creative and technical aspects of filmmaking in a five-week program in July and August. This rigorous program is designed for students who have a media-making background. The high quality work produced has been featured in youth film festivals nationwide.

Details:

The 2012 Summer Arts Institute will take place in July.

Application Deadline: TBD

Eligibility:

• Must be entering 10th, 11th or 12th grade at an NYC public school.
• Basic/introductory level filmmaking/video production or related arts experience is encouraged for application to this program. Basic filmmaking experience may include elements of any and all of the following: screenwriting and/or storytelling, camera operation, interviewing subjects, experience with sound and lighting, and editing on Final Cut Pro or similar programs. Related arts experience can include photography, creative writing, digital art, etc. Applicants need not have taken a previous filmmaking or video production class, i.e. formal training, and do not need experience in all areas listed above.
• Must submit completed application form by deadline. Please note that Summer Arts Institute applications are administered through the NYC Department of Education's Office of Arts and Special Projects.

Our City, My Story

An annual celebration of excellence in New York City youth-made media that gives student-made work an audience during the Tribeca Film Festival. Our City, My Story aims to highlight and bring attention to the tremendous work that our city's young filmmakers are producing.

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Submission Deadline: TBD

Eligibility:

• Filmmakers must be younger than 19 years of age, attending an NYC high school, and residing within the five boroughs of New York City at the time the film was completed
• Films must have been completed within the last calendar year.
• Youth filmmakers must play major creative roles on the production of the submitted works—as directors, writers, and/or editors. Any works reflecting more than 50% of creative control by filmmakers over the age of 20 will be ineligible (with preference given to films that are overwhelmingly youth made).
• Entrants must fully comply with Entry Rules & Regulations, including deadlines and entry material requirements and selected film requirements.
• Non-English language works must have English subtitles at the time of submitted.
• Films must be less than 15 minutes in length.