CYC (Center for Young Cinema)
The Austin School of Film offers a wide array of film and media arts courses for students, ages ten to nineteen. This award-winning program, in existence since 1999, generates truly interesting and fresh work by youth, and it is our goal to promote this work to as wide an audience as possible.
PHILOSOPHY: 
The core emphasis of all youth classes at the Austin School of Film is visual storytelling. The students are encouraged to be as creative as possible during the conception stage of their projects as long as their ideas are well conceived and intellectually developed. This focus results in truly original and fresh work that frequently pushes the boundaries of standard filmmaking practices and often results in films that are professional and distributable.
Austin School of Film courses are designed to maximize the individual and creative spirit in each student by giving them the freedom to fully express their ideas without censorship or bias—emphasis is on each student's own ideas and vision. We stress, however, the importance of intent and concept and challenge our students to think critically about their choices during the artmaking process.
 Public screenings of finished works by Austin School of Film students are shown on a regular basis—film is a visual medium, after all, and is meant to be seen by others. Public screenings take place at least twice a year at such locations as the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. We also maintain the Film Festival Office, where students can learn about the latest calls for entry and other distribution opportunities; a Film Festival Assistant is available to answer questions and to help facilitate applications.
SUMMER FILM CAMP:
The Austin School of Film’s award-winning Summer Film Camp is made up of intensive two-week courses that cover the fundamentals and creative aspects of filmmaking, animation, and other media arts. Kids, ages 10 to 19, work with experienced filmmakers and animators to realize their creative visions and produce their own films by the end of each course. Summer courses are now OPEN. Click here to see the classes.
Works by our summer program students have been accepted into national film festivals, including The Nashville Film Festival, The Chicago Children’s International Film Festival, The 20,000 Leagues Under the Industry Film Festival (Cleveland, Ohio), and have screened at the Guggenheim Museum (New York), on HBO Family, and at the HBO sponsored screening at the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival.
For more information on the Center for Young Cinema please contact Anne Kelley at anne@austinfilmschool.org or call 512-784-7444. |
