Join us for an evening of bold storytelling, creative collaboration, and original student filmmaking from the Film & Digital Media program at Idyllwild Arts Academy.

These students from around the world haven’t been sitting behind desks. They’ve been rolling up their sleeves, rotating crew roles, and immersing themselves in every part of the filmmaking process. Through months of instruction, experimentation, collaboration, and hands-on production, they’ve developed the skill and resilience it takes to bring stories to life on both sides of the camera.

This year’s films were created in collaboration with students from across all Idyllwild Arts departments, alongside alumni mentors and visiting industry professionals. The showcase features an exciting range of work including narrative shorts, experimental films, documentaries, animation, music videos, a student-led original musical for the camera, and a mockumentary. The work reflects humor, self-discovery, current youth culture, and the creative pulse of today’s emerging artists.

Highlights from the year include:

• Mentorship from The Breakfast Club Executive Producer Andrew Meyer through an AEL grant
• Alumni mentors Mike Barnett and Stephen Mann transformed Stephen’s Hall into a recording studio for the student-led original musical The Crucifixion of Aphrodite
• A filmmaking trip to the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum where students conceptualized, improvised, and filmed projects in one day under the desert heat
• Master classes with Hollywood industry professionals in stunts, make-up and prosthetics, screenwriting, and cinematography

This year’s student work includes:

• Short narrative films across multiple genres
• Experimental short films
• Music videos
• A musical for the camera
• Short documentaries and a mockumentary
• Animation
• Cathartic reflections on current youth culture and current events
• Humor and self-reflection
• An overview of the hands-on, student-led creative education at IDYFILM

We’re thrilled to share the results of their hard work and creative growth. We hope these films inspire you and renew your appreciation for the importance of nurturing young artists and student-led creative education.

Related Events

• 

  Film & Digital Media Student Film Showcase | On-Campus Screening

  May 20 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm PDT
• 

  Academy Virtual Information Session | Film & Digital Media

  June 22 @ 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm PDT