MdFF Hosts Baltimore Student Film Showcase at the Maryland Film Festival, Free and Open to the Public
- Maryland Film Festival hosts Baltimore Student Film Showcase on Sat May 6 and Sun May 7
- Showcase to feature youth media and college film program sessions, with work selected by each participating program
- Maryland Film Festival hosting student meet and greets, including a student-only conversation with filmmaker Stanley Nelson
On Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7, the Maryland Film Festival (MdFF) will host a Baltimore Student Film Showcase, celebrating the original work of Baltimore students. Festival-goers can view the latest projects from more than 100 up-and-coming filmmakers from middle schools, high schools and colleges around the Baltimore area. Each participating program selected work to feature at the showcase, which is free and open to the public.
For a full lists of participants and more details on the program, visit our Student Showcase information page.
Baltimore Student Film Showcase Agenda:
Saturday, May 6
- 1 p.m.: Youth Media Session
- Featuring the work of Baltimore-area youth producers from programs such as Baltimore Youth Film Arts, the Baltimore School for the Arts, Wide Angle Youth Media, Baltimore City & County Public and Private Schools, and Root Branch Productions.
Sunday, May 7
- 1 p.m.: College Film Program Session
- Featuring work from undergraduate and graduate academic film programs from Johns Hopkins University, Maryland Institute College of Art, Stevenson University, Towson University, Morgan State University, UMBC, and University of Baltimore.
The Baltimore Student Film Showcase will be hosted by Rahne Alexander—Baltimore artist, filmmaker, musician and youth advocate.
Screenings are free and open to the public and will take place at the Festival’s Tent Village on 4 W. North Avenue. In the spirit of the Festival, there will be ample time for Q&As with the students after each screening.
“Film students are hungry to learn, and we’re excited by the opportunity to improve access to the filmmaking world for Baltimore’s film students,” said Beatriz Bufrahi, founder of the Baltimore High School Film Festival and faculty member at Baltimore School for the Arts. “We’re hoping that this experience will inspire students to be creative and tell their stories, in and out of the classroom.”
This showcase kicks off MdFF’s latest initiative to support Baltimore’s growing youth media and college film movement, connecting students with wider audiences and the film community.
“Our Student Film Showcase is just the beginning,” said Jed Dietz, founding director of MdFF. “Our expanded mission with the Parkway is to connect young emerging artists to great independent work from around the word, and to connect students to the wide array of people who make these exciting movies. We now have the ability to cultivate the voices and talents of young filmmakers, and to forge a connection between film education and career development.”
During the Festival, MdFF will also host student meet and greets with prominent filmmakers, including a dedicated hour-long conversation for students with Stanley Nelson. These meet and greets are invitation-only for film students, to provide dedicated time for in-depth conversation. Stanley Nelson is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, Emmy Award-winning MacArthur “Genius Grant” fellow, and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is the director of such acclaimed, award-wining documentary features as The Murder of Emmett Till (2003), A Place of Our Own (2004), Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006), Freedom Riders (MdFF 2010) and The Black Panthers: Vanguard of The Revolution (MdFF 2015).
MdFF, through its mission of “Film for Everyone. Every Day.”, is committed to connecting film, filmmakers and audiences. Through the Baltimore Student Film Showcase and student/filmmaker meet and greets, MdFF is able to provide young people with unique opportunities to share their work and engage with working filmmakers.