MOLAA's 2nd Annual Student Film Festival

Primary Contact for Submission (one student representative will serve as the main contact).

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School Name and Address

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Presented by MOLAA’s Department of Education and LBUSD’s Office of Pathways and Business Engagement

MOLAA and LBUSD’s Office of Pathways & Business Engagement are excited to invite southern California high school students grades 9-12, to participate in its 2nd annual One Frame at a Time Student Film Festival. The festival will take place, in person, at MOLAA’s Viva Event Center in Long Beach, CA on Sunday, May 31st. Individuals or small teams of students are challenged to create a short two to three-minute project in one of our four categories. Each student or group may submit one film into this contest. A student may submit one film as part of a group, and one as an individual.

If you are collaborating with students from more than one school, please indicate that in the "Additional Notes" section at the end of this form.

Films can be any style but must be submitted to only one of the four categories.

Submissions will require a short 200-500 word artist/group statement.

This year’s theme is ESCAPE.

MOLAA invites submissions that push creative boundaries, or “escape” from expected forms and ideas – whether that be through storytelling; choice of subject; cinematography or technique (sound, light, editing, animation, etc); or mise-en-scène (set design, props, costumes, performance). Give us your unexpected!

Categories:

1. Animation
2. Tragedy/Drama
3. Comedy
4. Documentary/Broadcast

We also have a special Balboa Silent Film Award category for best silent film. The winner of that category is determined by MOLAA Staff.

Finalists Will Also Receive:

10 courtesy passes to MOLAA with exclusive access to the museum.
Film Festival Award certificate.
Mention in MOLAA newsletter and social media.
Potential use of film in future MOLAA events and programs.

A distinguished group of judges from the Hollywood film industry and local Long Beach Cultural Centers will determine the Award Winners based on storytelling, creativity, technical and art/educational content.

Finalists are required to attend the MOLAA Film Screening and Awards Ceremony on the afternoon of Sunday May 31, 2026 at the Museum to receive their awards and prizes.

Technical Guidelines:

Film must be between 2 - 3 minutes in length (120-180 seconds total run time, including credits).
Film must be landscape/horizontal for a movie theater screen.
Film must be in 1080 HD resolution or higher.
Film must be submitted in H.264 MP4 or .MOV format.
Please check sound levels. Audio should be balanced between Left and Right.
Please make sure there is no branding or watermarks on any footage or throughout the film (i.e.: stock footage, editing program watermarks, etc.).

Please only use your own original material or material that you have permission to use. You are responsible for obtaining all permissions.

All videos, photos, music/audio, art, logos, books/articles and other copyrighted material used in your submission MUST be properly licensed. You must have permission and/or the proper rights to all content submitted.

If your film uses any material that is not your own it must be from a public domain and copyright free. Otherwise, you must obtain Proof of Written Permission, and submit that proof with your application and film. Please contact Student_Film_Festival@molaa.org for assistance.

Photo Image Release

You are responsible for obtaining permission from all actors, extras, and any other identifiable individuals that appear in your film. If you film someone without their permission, or a minor without parent permission, your project maybe pulled from the contest. MOLAA and LBUSD are not responsible for getting permissions to use someone's image and likeness. By submitting to this contest, you take on that responsibility.

Title Slide and Closing Credits

Films should begin with a title slide and end with Closing Credits. Cite all of your sources used in the closing credits of your film. Your film’s total runtime (TRT), with title slide and closing credits, should not exceed 180 seconds or you may be subject to a loss in scoring.

Cost: This is a free contest. There is no fee to submit your application and film.

This contest is designed primarily as a learning opportunity for the LBUSD Pathways Program in Media and Arts.

Dates and Deadlines:

• March 15, 2026 – Submission Portal Opens. Please Visit:

https://molaa.org/molaa-student-film-festival

• May 1, 2026 EOD - Final submissions due for all applications, forms and film (by 11:59pm.

• May 18, 2026 Finalists are notified this week by email. Please double check your contact infromation is correct.

• May 31, 2026 - Film Screening and Awards Ceremony at MOLAA.

Finalists are required to attend the event.

Questions? For additional information, please contact us at Student_Film_Festival@molaa.org

PROJECT DIRECTORS: Dr. Alison Heney, Juan Carlos Perez, and Karina Galdamez

Which category are you submitting to? Documentary; Drama; Comedy; Animation.

In this field below, please list all the student names involved in this project. We will use this list of names for certificates of participation and winner's trophies if applicable. Be SURE you have the correct spelling and school affiliation for each student. For example: "Alison Heney, Colton High School, CA"

Film Submission File: Film must be submitted in mp4 or .mov format.

If your file is more than 1GB, please send to aheney@molaa.org using www.wetransfer.com and be sure the file title has the last name of the person submitting so we can match it with your paperwork.

200-500 word Artist/Group Statement (Paste Below)

Additional File

Additional Comments

Signature: By signing this form, you accept all the rules, guidelines, and regulations outlined above. *

MOLAA + LBUSD 2nd Annual Student Film Festival!