[ot-caption title=”The PC Film Crew took New York by storm, receiving a $1000 reward as semi-finalist in the film invitational, as well as a $25,000 grant to make a series on Cyberbullying (via Dave Burgess, PCTV head).”]

One of the phrases often stated by the All American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF) head, Andrew Jenks, is that “It’s very likely that you’re sitting next to the future Steven Spielberg,” and I believe that perfectly summarizes the AAHSFF experience.[spacer height=”20px”]

AAHSFF is an annual festival held in New York City where teenage filmmakers from around the world are given the opportunity to have their films shown on the silver screen. Filmmakers fly in from a variety of foreign countries to interact with fellow filmmakers. There is never a dull moment at AAHSFF, as the festival rents out several floors of the AMC in Times Square to constantly screen films.[spacer height=”20px”]

As a filmmaker who had two official selections this year at the festival and another two the previous year, I always find AAHSFF to be a great experience. It is both exciting and nerve-wracking to await the audience’s reaction after your film is screened. Immediately after one of my films was screened, another young filmmaker in the audience ran up to me saying how much he enjoyed my film and wished to get into further contact. This exemplifies another great aspect that AAHSFF brings about: making contacts. As students grow older in this industry, they may continue to work with many of the people you meet at this festival. [spacer height=”20px”]

When it comes to the film industry, knowing people and having other friends in the industry is crucial. AAHSFF recognizes this and allows filmmakers to mingle with each other. The festival even dedicates a full night just for networking. As a filmmaker, nothing inspires me more than watching fellow teenagers’ films and meeting with talented individuals. Seeing what others are able to achieve pushes me to become a better filmmaker.[spacer height=”20px”]

In the years before AAHSFF, there was nothing quite like it. But now, there exists a festival with coordinators who truly care about the filmmakers and will do whatever they can to make sure these inspired teenagers succeed. Every year the festival hands out thousands of dollars in scholarships and all sorts of top quality equipment. The beauty of AAHSFF is that you don’t need to be a filmmaker to recognize the talent that these teenagers have. It’s equally satisfying just to attend the festival and see the next generation of filmmakers. Who knows, maybe you’ll even run into the future Steven Spielberg.[spacer height=”20px”]