SUBMIT YOUR FILM
Submissions are now closed.
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If you would like to attend the youth shorts program and the rest of the programming for the evening of Thursday April 19th 2018, please get your tickets here.
If you are an Indie Meme member or a festival badge/band holder - admission to this event is included.
2018 IMFF Youth Initiative
We have always encouraged youth participation as volunteers or as filmmakers. Recently we have been showcasing the work of young filmmakers from South Asia and have been blown away by their ability to tell original and amazing stories on tough and heartbreaking subjects.
We also recognize that there is a growing South Asian population with young adults who have a unique understanding of their world being born to immigrant parents.
We are eager to provide an opportunity to such young adults to showcase their movie-making talents and wow us with their short films.
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Questions? Write to us - youthfilms@indememe.org
Youth Advisors
TANIA ROMERO
Born in Nicaragua, Tania Romero is a media production instructor and award-winning filmmaker. She is passionate about empowering young people through the practice of filmmaking. With over 10 years of teaching experience, she loves it when students rise to the challenge of writing, producing, and editing short films.
GIL GARCIA
Gil Garcia is a Producer and Freelance Filmmaker with an extensive background working in Media Arts Education. A graduate of The University of Texas Radio Television Film Program, Gil started in advertising, producing video for companies like GSD&M and LatinWorks. He then spent ten years teaching digital film production and broadcast journalism at Stephen F. Austin High School in Austin, Texas, putting the program in the national spotlight by garnering top honors and recognition from the Obama Administration, The Student Television Network, SXSW, NPR, The BBC, and many others. Gil was named “Distinguished Broadcast Adviser of the year” in 2016 by the National Journalism Education Association and he is a media education consultant for The Austin Independent School District, React To Film, and the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs. He also serves on the Community Advisory Board for KLRU, the PBS affiliate in Austin, Texas. A leader in the field of media arts education, Gil co-wrote the third edition of the textbook, "Television Production & Broadcast Journalism", the highest selling text in the nation among high school film programs.
Youth Films
Performance Day
Directed by Avni Singh from Austin High School. This film gives viewers an insight into the preparation behind a Bharatyantyam dance performance and camraderie among dancers in modern day Indian-American society.
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This film also features her dance friends, Samsti Raja and Akshaya Ranjit, and her dance teacher, Hema Raja.
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I Am
An Asian American girl partakes in activities unique to Austin, at the end of the day coming home to Indian comfort food. This short shows the seamless blend of American and Asian cultures many kids feel in their daily lives. An emphasis is placed on the fact that you do not need to choose but rather can meld two uniquely distinct worlds together.
Anannya Akella is interested in the visual arts and explores this field through theatre, photography, music, and dance. Anagha Pashilkar is on her high school track team and competes for an all-girls robotics team. Shruti Srinivasan pursues her artistic passions by playing violin in two orchestras and singing in choir.
Don't Ask
A Comedy short about a teenager who finds out that his girlfriend is home alone but needs to overcome the obstacle that is his mother with lies and manipulation. However, moms always find out everything.
A joint production between Westlake High School and Anderson High School. Directed by Rohit Srinivasan, the team consisted of Alex Le, Sidharth Srinivasan, Aryan Wadhwa and Rishabh Bector.
Bloom
Bloom is a mixed media animation produced by Creative Action, directed by seventh grader, Lila Mali with participation from the West Ridge Middle School film students. Bloom won the 2016 Austin Youth Film Festival award for best short animation. This short through the lens of a kid takes us into a journey through the mind, from chaos and noise to the reviving peace found in nature.
Sari
This film shows a mother showing her child how to wear a sari, but reveals a surprise at the end. This is spreading a message to accept people for who they are.
Directed by Ana Dragomir and a team from Anderson High School consisting of Dhruv Ruttala and Aunteek Naser.
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