2025 Y-CAM High School Film Festival at DCIFF

Experience the thrill of on-site awards with esteemed judges from the film industry! Get the inside scoop from industry experts and our captivating keynote speaker about the realities of working in the media world. Discover incredible film school opportunities and connect with fellow filmmakers who could be your next collaborators!

Y-CAM is your golden ticket to showcase your creativity on an international stage and make your mark as a high school filmmaker. Don’t miss out on this unmatched opportunity to elevate your film career!

Note: This event is FREE! No ticket is required and you can walk into the event, but encouraged.

Y-CAM Program: Day 1

Date: Saturday, February 1, 2025, 12:00 - 6:15 PM ET
Location: Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market, 550 Penn St NE, Washington, DC 20002
12:30pm - 1:00pm: Welcome and Introductions: Meet the Team
1:00pm - 3:10 pm: Screening Session One with Q&A:
Colors of Kindness (Portugal/2024/1.08 mins/ animation)
Here we Go Again directed by Cadence Barreda (USA /2024 /12 mins / documentary)
Urbex directed by Cam Poteet and Nicholas Kosemund (USA/2024/5mins/fiction)
An Inner View directed by Akash M Ercolini-Bhatia (USA/2024/3.20mins/fiction)
Algorithm directed by Vince Viplak (Hungary/ 2024/ 6.45mins)
Who We Once Were directed by Caroline Reilly (USA/2024/4.30mins/fiction)
As You Wish directed by Dennis Rider (USA/2024/7.03mins/fiction)
Mother Tongue Shriya Surana (USA/2024/2.38mins/animation)
1 2 3 Red light, Green light (China / 2024/ 5.07 / animation)
Madness directed by Maggie Marshall (USA/2024/5.21mins/fiction)
The Reiterative Reality of Rosemary Robinson directed by Gabriella Marinace-Lee (USA /2024 /6.25mins/ fiction)
Little Changes directed by Abril Garcia, Marc Jaen, Martina Navarro (Spain/ 2024/2.32mins/fiction)
Where directed by Ziquan Wang (China/2024/ 5mins/ fiction)
Eras directed by Anna Samuels (USA / 2024/ 3mins)
Omelet Sunday directed by Nolan Ladison (USA/2024/11.40mins/ fiction)
3:10pm - 3:45pm: Film Kahoot with Prizes
3:50pm - 6:15pm: Screening Session Two with Q&A:
The Frame King directed by Max Farahnakian Silverman (USA / 2024 /1.30mins/animation)
Count Sokula directed by Wylder Hardy Levkoff. (USA / 2024 / 4mins/ animation)
A Tribute to the Starry-Eyed Girl directed by Zoe Novella Epperson. (USA/2024/12mins/ fiction)
Dazed directed by Nelan Castillo (USA/2024/3.40mins/fiction)
How to Love directed by John Monaco (USA/2024/4.06mins/fiction)
Chocolate directed by. Muhammed A Ali ( USA / 2024 / 19.04 mins. / fiction)
Dawg Days directed by Ian Kelly Davis (USA / 2024 / 7.09mins. / fiction)
Identity directed by Kalina Thomas. (USA / 2024 / 4.38mins. / fiction)
Clean Slate directed by Ally Cao (USA/ 2024/ 1.40mins/ animation)
Arlington’s Magnolia Bog directed by Coral De la Cruz-Novey (USA /2024 /7.19mins / documentary)
Wick directed by Kayling Iris Taylor (USA/2024/5.30mins/fiction)
Ding! directed by Haider Haneef Malik, Xinti Lim (Malaysia / 2024/ 2.56mins / fiction)
Snake Skin directed by Maxwell Downer (UK / 2024 /14.17mins / documentary)
Lay Z Farmer directed by Noah Bowers (USA/2024/2.13mins/ music video)

Y-CAM Program,: Day 2

Date: Sunday, February 2nd, 2025
Location: Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market, 550 Penn St NE, Washington, DC 20002

1:00pm - 2:00pm: Meet Admissions, Faculty and Students from Film Schools
2:00pm-2:30pm: Judging and Awards
2:30pm-4:00pm: Screenwriting Workshop with
4:00pm-4:30pm: Film Kahoot with Prizes
4:00pm-5:30pm: Hope Works directed by Daria Strahan, Yaa Bonsu, Perry Chamberlain (USA /2024 /19.33mins / documentary)

Nominated Films:

We are excited to announce that we received a record number of submissions this year—150 films highlighting exceptional talent in animation, documentary, and fiction! We are delighted to shine a spotlight on the incredible talents of emerging young filmmakers in 2025! With so many extraordinary submissions, it was a challenging task to narrow down the selections.

We're excited to announce the chosen films that will be showcased and judged on February 1st and 2nd in the vibrant heart of downtown Washington, DC. Join us for an inspiring celebration of creativity and storytelling!

Y-CAM FINALISTS 2025

Animation

1 2 3 Red light, Green light (Taiwan / 2024/ 5.07 / animation) Grandpa capybara traveled from South America to Taiwan and likes soaking in hot springs in the forest, while his grandchild Gogou likes Taiwanese food.

The Frame King directed by Max Farahnakian Silverman (USA / 2024 /1.30mins/animation) Loose your people loose your empire.

Count Sokula directed by Wylder Hardy Levkoff. (USA / 2024 / 4mins/ animation) Ever wonder where your matching socks go?

Clean Slate directed by Ally Cao (USA/ 2024/ 1.40mins/ animation) A frustrated young artist, haunted by dark figures while vacuuming discarded sketches battles chaos when the vacuum mutates into a hostile form.

Colors of Kindness (Portugal/2024/1.08 mins/ animation) In a black and white world, only the ones who are kind and joyful are colorful.

Mother Tongue directed by Shriya Surana (USA/2024/2.38mins/animation) An intricate relationship with language as an intergenerational struggle.

Documentary

Snake Skin directed by Maxwell Downer (USA / 2024 / Documentary) An in-depth look into how we can create a healthy relationship with our clothes in a hyper-consuming world.

Here We Go Again directed by Cadence Barreda (USA /2024 /12 mins / documentary)

Students auditioning for their high school's production of Mamma Mia! go head to head to

secure a spot in their coveted spring musical.

Arlington’s Magnolia Bog directed by Coral De la Cruz-Novey (USA /2024 /7.19mins /

documentary)

Fiction

Chocolate directed by. Muhammed A Ali ( USA / 2024 / 19.04 mins. / fiction )

A kind-hearted old man is pressed by neighbors unwilling to tolerate his actions.

Dawg Days directed by Ian Kelly Davis (USA / 2024 / 7.09mins. / fiction) A last school summer where friendships are tested and change feels unavoidable.

Identity directed by Kalina Thomas. (USA / 2024 / 4.38mins. / fiction) Shoye envisions her loved ones abandoning her after she comes out as a member of the

LGBTQ community.

Eras directed by Anna Samuels (USA / 2024/ 3mins) A tween girl struggles to navigate

Snapchat as she transitions into teenhood.

Ding! directed by Haider Haneef Malik, Xinti Lim (Malaysia / 2024/ 2.56mins / fiction) Trapped in a malfunctioning elevator, two students’ banter over love, life, and lost friendships spirals into chaos.

Little Changes directed by Abril Garcia, Marc Jaen, Martina Navarro (Spain/ 2024/2.32mins/fiction) Small changes can prevent great catastrophes.

Omelet Sunday directed by Nolan Ladison (USA/2024/11.40mins/ fiction) A Zombie outbreak, demons in the dark, a rude cashier. There's only one thing they can do, make the perfect omelette!

A Tribute to the Starry-Eyed Girl directed by Zoe Novella Epperson. (USA/2024/12mins/

fiction) Four eccentric, but earnest musicians drop out of university to try their luck in the Boston music scene.

The Reiterative Reality of Rosemary Robinson directed by Gabriella Marinace-Lee (USA

/2024 /6.25mins/ fiction) Rosemary’s daily routine is upended by unfortunate circumstances.

Where directed by Ziquan Wang (China/2024/ 5mins/ fiction) Xia Jinwen is mocked by a group of kids waiting for her mother, Xia Dongni, to start their English tutoring session.

Wick directed by Kayling Iris Taylor (USA/2024/5.30mins/fiction) A young girl's life is

inexplicably bound to a mysterious candle that, if extinguished, spells her doom.

Madness directed by Maggie Marshall (USA/2024/5.21mins/fiction)

Dazed directed by Nelan Castillo (USA/2024/3.40mins/fiction) A boxer's traumatic past makes him make a crucial decision

Urbex directed by Cam Poteet and Nicholas Kosemund (USA/2024/5mins/fiction) Two girls follow an AOL message into the woods that promised a fun urban exploring

experience.

Algorithm directed by Vince Viplak (Hungary/ 2024/ 6.45mins) The impact of social media on the brains of human subjects.

Who We Once Were directed by Caroline Reilly (USA/2024/4.30mins/fiction) In the few

moments she has before her father moves thousands of miles away, will Lottie forgive him?

An Inner View directed by Akash M Ercolini-Bhatia (USA/2024/3.20mins/fiction) An interview question leads Clay down a rabbit hole of possibilities.

As You Wish directed by Dennis Rider (USA/2024/7.03mins/fiction) A determined adventurer finds a magical lamp that houses a puppet genie.

Lay Z Farmer directed by Noah Bowers (USA/2024/2.13mins/ music video) Gangster Farmers

How to Love directed by John Monaco (USA/2024/4.06mins/fiction) A young man tries to figure out how to love a girl, but is held back by his fathers influence while having to confront the deepest parts of himself.

OUT OF COMPETITION:

Hope Works directed by Daria Strahan, Yaa Bonsu, Perry Chamberlain (USA /2024 /19.33mins/ documentary) The transformative impact of the Run Hope Work (RHW) program in Washington DC.Just

Host or Publisher DC Independent Film Festival (DCIFF)