Join us for the 6th annual Youth Film Fest, now in-person & online Saturday, September 18th!
This year we’re offering your choice of experiencing youth films on the big screen at the Malco Paradiso or from the comfort of your own home! Whichever you choose, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorites in our Audience Awards!
How to Attend
I’m a student.
All students between grades 7 & 12 (plus 2021 graduates) can attend for FREE. Choose from an in-person or virtual pass HERE. Once you’ve created your pass account, then reserve your screening tickets via the schedule page HERE. Theatre capacity is very limited per screening, with multiple screenings times to choose from throughout the day. We highly encourage you to pull your screening tickets in advance.
I’m an adult/parent.
Adults and parents attending in-person film screenings must pull Pay-What-You-Can tickets. In-person adult tickets will become available on September 16th. Theatre capacity is very limited per screening, with multiple screenings times to choose from throughout the day. Please note that students will be prioritized. Parents and adults attending screenings online can pull virtual Pay-What-You-Can tickets HERE.
Awards
Join us online on Sunday, September 19th at 4pm for the awards show! Jury & Audience awards will be announced alongside the recipient of the $5K Production Package and other festival awards.
Youth Fest Filmmakers! Want to learn more and apply for the $5K Production Package?
CrewUp Filmmaking Mentorship
Interested in learning more about CrewUp, our filmmaking mentorship opportunity? Make plans to attend the CrewUp screening at this year’s Youth Fest -- featuring several short films produced by our recent teams! Each mentorship team consists of three students and one filmmaking mentor to produce an original short film with a $500 budget. Learn more and apply to participate in the 2022 mentorship below.
Jury
Our 2021 Youth Film Fest jury consists of some wonderful film professionals from around the country! They will be choosing the recipient for best of the Memphis Youth Competition ($500 cash and a trophy) and the CrewUp Mentorship ($600 cash). Join us on Sunday, September 19th at 4pm cst for the awards show!
Jon-Carlos Evans • Filmmaker
LEARN MORE ABOUT JON-CARLOS +
Jon-Carlos Evans is a Berlin based filmmaker, audiovisual artist and writer. A native of St.Louis, MO, he holds a B.A. in Film Production from Webster University-St.Louis and a MFA in Media Arts Production from the City College of New York. Under his (former) musical alias Klaas von Karlos, Evans is the founder of experimental-electronic collective ReVerse Bullets and creative director of the GLITCH performance series/music label. He is a member of the experimental electronic duo Naked Sweatshop with artist Kyoko Takenaka. His past works have received the Eastman Kodak Student Grant (2006), the Aloha Accolade Award (2010, Honolulu International Festival), and the Silver Palm Award (2010, Mexico International Film Festival). His 2017 mid-length feature, "All Tomorrow's Children," won the Bronze Remi Award at Worldfest Houston and Best Narrative Film at the 2017 CUNY Film Festival.
Evans also serves as a Staff Writer for media website Black Nerd Problems and works as the Film M.A. Program Lead at Catalyst Institute for Creative Arts & Technology in Berlin. Most recently, his fantasy/noir feature film script “The Lost Gods of Memphis” was nominated for Best Script from the Jxn Film Festival and selected as a Quarterfinalist for the Emerging Screenwriters Genre Screenplay Competition and the Screencraft Film Fund in 2021. Currently, the film is in development with Legacy Pictures and Wafilms. He is also in post-production on the fantasy/vampire short film called “Ashé (Night)" which will premiere in film festivals in the Autumn of 2021/Winter 2022.
Dan Hudson • Executive Director - NFFTY
LEARN MORE ABOUT DAN +
Dan first started with NFFTY in 2015 as venue manager and outreach coordinator. Venue manager again in 2016 and 2017, and has programmed the animation and music video categories since NFFTY 2017. He joined NFFTY full-time in 2018, first as Festival Manager for NFFTY 2018, and has been NFFTY’s Executive Director since January 2019. A graduate of Seattle University’s MFA in Arts Leadership program, he has over ten years of professional experience working with arts nonprofits. He primarily has worked with theatre and film organizations—including Intiman, ArtsWest, SIFF, Northwest Film Forum, and Scarecrow Video—in a variety of marketing, development, and operations roles. He programs Seattle's Grand Illusion Cinema—where his programming was twice profiled by The Stranger—as well as Art House Theater Day, a nationwide event. He also serves on the board of TeenTix, an arts access and youth dev organization.
Kiwi Lanier • Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema
LEARN MORE ABOUT KIWI +
Kiwi Lanier is the Program Manager for Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema, host of the annual Sidewalk Film Festival. Kiwi runs all of Sidewalk's educational programs for youth and adults. In their spare time, Kiwi and their dog, Bean, are usually up to no good (read: laying on the sofa doing absolutely nothing).
Code of Conduct
INDIE MEMPHIS is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for EVERYONE, regardless of gender, gender identity & expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or film viewing choices. This applies to all in-person and online interactions between participants & attendees. WE ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT TOLERATE HARASSMENT IN ANY FORM. Although we are unaware of any prior incidents occurring at Indie Memphis events, we want all attendees to know the festival is a safe zone that we are dedicated to create and foster for all festival goers, attendees, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, staff, and filmmakers.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to: offensive verbal or online comments related to gender, gender identity & expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion, film viewing choices, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. In short, DON’T BE A JERK.
Those who are asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If they do not, Indie Memphis reserves the right to remove them from the premises and bar them from future events WITHOUT a refund.
If someone engages in harassing behavior, Indie Memphis organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the festival with no refund. Harassment claims will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, at the discretion of Indie Memphis management and/or security staff.
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other questions or concerns, please contact a member of our staff or Board of Directors IMMEDIATELY. Indie Memphis Film Festival staff can be identified by “CREW” lanyards. If you do not see a staff member, please contact Knox Shelton, Executive Director, and/or Joseph Carr, Director of Artist Development & Youth Film, at knox@indiememphis.com and joseph@indiememphis.com, respectively.
Indie Memphis staff members are happy to help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the festival. We value your attendance, and we want everyone to enjoy all that Indie Memphis has to offer.
Participants & attendees violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the festival without a refund at the discretion of the festival organizers. There will be no exceptions to this established code of conduct.
