MW Student Film Festival

Submissions for the 2023 MetroWest Student Film Festival are open September 30th-April 7th. 

This year's festival event date with finalist screenings will take place on Sunday, May 7th.

The MetroWest Student Film Festival is dedicated to showcasing the talents and creativity of the region's youth by providing an opportunity for young filmmakers and production teams to explore and create stories through motion pictures. Finalists among these student-created films will be shared with friends, families and the community in TCAN’s state-of-the-art screening room.

We envision the MWSFF as the largest student film festival of its kind in the region. Being part of this festival provides entrants the opportunity to:

  • Share films with the regional community
  • Screen films in an independent, state-of-the-art cinema
  • Network with a jury of judges from the industry, and other filmmakers in the region
  • Attend the festival premiere showcase

Submission Categories:

Outstanding Live Action Short
Films in this category will be judged as a whole project based on the use of live-action techniques - films must include only real people and animals, real sets and scenes and no models or images that are drawn or produced by a computer.

Outstanding Documentary Short
Films in this category will be judged as a whole project based on the use of documentary techniques - they should be nonfictional and intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education, or to provide a factual or historical record or report.

Outstanding Animated Short
Films in this category will be judged as a whole project based on the use of animation techniques - films can include individual drawings, paintings, or illustrations photographed frame by frame (stop-motion cinematography) or generated by a computer (2D or 3D), they can also include motion graphics or stop-motion techniques using models or cut-outs.

Judges: 

Adam Harrington
A native of Wellesley, MA, Adam graduated from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television in… well, let’s just say his senior year a lot of people thought the internet was ‘just a passing fad.’ Since then, Adam has worked on both coasts, in all facets of the entertainment industry. Some of his TV work includes: The Blacklist, Gravesend, FBI, Billions, The Tick, Royal Pains, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Better Off Ted, Parenthood, Dirt, Kevin Hill, Heroes, Scrubs, Enterprise. Some Film credits: A Different Sun, Hard Sell, From The Head (7.9 IMDB rating, streaming on Amazon),Torque, Iron Man (Reporter #2, baby! And I STILL get residual checks!!). While these credits – along with dozens of commercials, theater and voiceover jobs – are all well and good and pay the bills, Adam is most proud of the independent projects he’s been a part of. Most notably: Gosling Stole My Best Friend (Co-Wrote/Produced, with over 3 million views on FunnyOrDie); Strollers (Co-Wrote and Produced this web series with Anthony Alabi); Gigi: Almost American (BBC America, starring Josh Gad); Daddy Issues (starred in this short film set to debut on the 2023/2024 festival circuit); and he is currently in pre-production for a new horror-comedy short film he wrote with long-time collaborator, Josh Covitt. Adam is honored to be asked to watch all of these films. Truly. And you notice I didn’t use the word ‘judge’, because… who am I to judge?? You are the ones who are actually DOING it! You’re making art! (Cue the overly dramatic music)... You’re… you’re all winners.
 

Rick Manoogian
Rick Manoogian is a documentary video editor and his credits include Frontline, Nova, This Old House, Discovery and National Geographic. He has taught at Emerson College, Boston University, the Maine Media Workshops and at the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies in Yerevan, Armenia. His aim is to craft stories with picture and sound that are both cogent and compelling.

 

Sponsor: 

We'd like to thank our festival Sponsor Jay Harrington for his generous support of this film festival - without Jay's sponsorship we wouldn't be able to continue to run the MWSFF so we are extremely grateful!

Jay Harrington was born and raised in Wellesley, Massachusetts. He is an actor, known for films like Better Off Ted, American Reunion and Summerland and is currently starring in the hit TV series SWAT. These days Jay is based in LA and remains incredibly proud of his MetroWest MA roots, Jay is thrilled to be able to sponsor the MWSFF and support the filmmakers of the future!

 
2023 Festival Finalists and Awardees   2022 Festival Finalists and Awardees   2020 Festival Finalists and Awardees   2019 Festival Finalists and Awardees