Arts

SCS Film Festival

2023-2024 Film Festival

Friday, April 26, 2024 | 7:30 p.m.
at the United Talent Agency in Beverly Hills

The Sierra Canyon Film Festival is an annual spring event. This year the festival will be held at the United Talent Agency (UTA) in Beverly Hills. Organized and run by Sierra Canyon students and the Visual Arts Department instructors, the festival aims to showcase Sierra Canyon’s aspiring filmmakers, animators, and actors, as well as the best work of high school and college students from around the country. This evening honors the time, effort, and talent that goes into their films.

The festival consists of a reception, screening, awards ceremony, and a Q&A session with the attending student filmmakers. During the reception, the filmmakers meet privately with a guest speaker, a professional currently working in the film industry, where questions are taken, and advice offered on how to advance/enhance their craft and careers. 

After an introduction by the professional/industry guest speaker, the screening begins. The student films are screened for roughly 90 minutes and consist of short films, animated and live action, from a wide pool of applicants. After the screening, student filmmakers are presented with trophies, awards, and scholarships. 
 
The Sierra Canyon Film Festival offers aspiring student filmmakers the opportunity to have their films screened with a large audience. Students get feedback from an industry professional and a large audience of first-time viewers. Past festivals have been screened at the historic Raleigh Studios and under the stars on the Sierra Canyon Lower Campus.

Submissions

The 2024 Sierra Canyon Film Festival is now taking entry submissions. Films can be submitted through FilmFreeway, which contains more information about the rules and prizes at the festival. 

Click here to enter the Sierra Canyon Film Festival!

The deadlines are the following:
 
  • Earlybird Deadline: January 19, 2024
  • Regular Deadline: March 25, 2024
  • Late Deadline: April 15, 2024
  • Notification Date: April 19, 2024

Sierra Canyon students can apply for a waiver of fees when submitting to the festival. If applicants have any questions, please email Filmmaking instructor, Mr. Gvozden at dgvozden@sierracanyonschool.org

    Film Festival Team

    List of 2 members.

    • Photo of Dan Gvozden

      Mr.  Dan Gvozden 

      US Faculty
      Ext. 1373
    • Photo of Gideon Webster

      Gideon Webster 

      US Faculty
      Ext. 1375

    2023 Film Festival Winners


    • 1st Place, Tanner Cusumano “Trailblazer” Award (Best in Fest): 
      "Mother, may I?" by Willow Stromer
      "Solemnity: Day One" by Marquez Caruso

    • 1st Runner Up:
      "Si Hay" by Colin Fenmore

    • Best Screen Play:
      "Mother, may I?" by Willow Stromer

    • Best Music Video:
      "After We Play" by Sam Lenkov

    • Best Editing:
      "Mother, may I?" by Willow Stromer

    • Best Documentary:
      "Arkady's Escape" by Dean Gofnung

    • Most Innovative Film: 
      "Presence: a nature film" by Katelynn Wu

    • Simple Idea, Done Brilliantly:
      "Wake Up" by Dean Gofnung

    • Best Student Acting:
      Kai Smith in "Mother, may I?"

    • Best Cinematography:
      "Solemnity: Day One" by Sam Lenkov

    • Best Animation:
      "Pinstripe" by Justin Priluck

    • Best Character Animation:
      "Love Grows" by Rachael Reyes

    • Most Innovative Animation:
      "Catchimals" by Mason Anderson and Kellen Oliver


    Lower School: 11052 Independence Avenue
    Middle and Upper School: 20801 Rinaldi Street
    Chatsworth, CA 91311  | 818.882.8121
    Sierra Canyon School is a private, independent, non-sectarian, co-educational, college preparatory school for students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12 located in Chatsworth, California. The highly cosmopolitan campus community is reflective of the Greater Los Angeles area and the world at large. Students are empowered to realize their greatest creative, ethical, intellectual and physical promise through small class sizes, a diverse student-teacher culture and a family-like environment.