The Stone Flower Youth Film Festival showcases the world's best youth-made short films. It is a diverse collection that includes all genres, celebrates youth culture, and unveils a new generation of filmmakers.
Our mission is to provide a platform for emerging youth filmmakers ages 7-18, around the world to reach the broadest possible audience and to generate international dialogue through cinema. The festival looks to celebrate and inspire filmmakers to develop their technical and creative skills and become true ambassadors of respect and understanding for the future.
For our second season in 2020 categories accepting and awarding submissions are:
Best Feature Film (made by filmmakers under 18)
Best Feature Film (made for the youth by filmmakers over 18)
Best Short Film
Best Student Film (Film Clubs & Schools)
Best Feature Documentary
Best Short Documentary
Best Music Video
Best Experimental
Best Comedy
Best Romance
Best Action
Best Drama
*Please Note*
Due to a FilmFreeway server error our formatting was incorrect in our previous communication via e-mail. We were definitely not trying to communicate via some strange code. Our sincere apologies. The correct message for all our filmmakers is below.
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In early March 2020, preparations for The Stone Flower Youth Film Festival’s 2nd Season in August 2020 were well underway when the escalating COVID-19 crisis upended everything. Just weeks from announcing our program, we held an emergency meeting and were forced to make the decision to postpone our in-person, in-theater festival. We’re not cancelling anything, but only moving the dates forward to December 2020 when hopefully the situation of the world might change for the better and all our young filmmakers worldwide will be able to travel to us in the glorious Russian winter.
We recognize that in planning for the Festival now, there is still uncertainty about what “people coming together again” will look like in December 2020. Therefore, we are looking at both onsite and digital innovations, which will provide options that will deliver for our audiences, support filmmakers and our partners, and bolster the industry.
Our small dedicated crew is currently taking care of SFYFF's assets and planning for the festival at the end of the year. Now there is a considerable delay in answering phone calls and emails during this time. If you have contacted us, please be patient and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
What does this mean for all the 1400+ films that we’ve received?
All your films are safe, and we’ll be in touch if we require any further information from you (subtitles, posters, ETC). You don’t need to re-submit your films.
What are the new dates for the submission deadline and the screenings?
The regular submission deadline has been extended to the 13th of November 2020. The selected films and the date of the live event in December 2020 will be communicated after the submission deadline date.
The crew thank you for being united with us and sharing your souls through films. Together, we will ensure SFYFF continues on.
Yours Sincerely,
The Stone Flower Youth Film Festival
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All films received that follow the festival's rules and guidelines will be firstly thoroughly viewed by a pre-jury and secondly by a selection jury. The winners will be chosen by a youth jury.
All selected films will receive laurels and the winning films will receive digital certificates and a mention in the local media.
Judging Critera
Concept & Writing
Is the story or concept unique? Is the storytelling or narrative coherent, and does it hold your attention? Does the writing have resonance and stay with you long after viewing it? Determining the quality of concept & writing considers all the elements that go into the creative process and how successfully the original idea is communicated.
Quality of Craft
Determining the quality of craft focuses on the filmmaking process and technical execution. This includes the appearance and quality of the captured image, editing, sound design and audio integration, performances, lighting, and all the aspects that account for a memorable viewing experience. Quality of Craft means more than just a pretty looking film or video, and it doesn’t necessitate that it be cutting edge or trendy.
Integration
How well the work is implemented in the medium? Can you fully experience the quality of the work, or are there technical or media-specific issues preventing you from experiencing it to its fullest?
Execution
The brilliance of an idea can easily fall flat if not executed properly. Execution becomes more difficult when taking into account the different ways media is consumed including differences in technology, location and user preferences. While reviewing Execution, consider the following: Is the experience seamless?
Overall Experience
Demonstrating that a film or video can be more or less than the sum of its parts, the overall experience encompasses concept & writing, execution, quality of craft, as well as the intangibles that provoke viewer response. Repeat viewing or visiting generally indicates a generally positive overall experience.