Film Kids

About

What if your child didn't just watch movies — they made them? Film Kids is an Austin-based non-profit that puts cameras, scripts, and creative control directly in the hands of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders through weekly after-school film clubs at multiple AISD campuses and full-week summer camps at North and South Austin sites. Developed in partnership with the Charles A. Dana Center and AISD, the curriculum is aligned to 5th Grade ELA and Fine Arts TEKS — so kids are building reading, writing, communication, and technology skills while genuinely having a blast. In every session, young filmmakers pitch and develop original stories, choose camera angles, develop characters, run cameras, direct each other, and act across a variety of genres, all guided by instructors with professional film backgrounds from programs like Boston University, Florida State University's College of Motion Picture Arts, and Arkansas State University. The results are real — Film Kids productions have screened at Alamo Drafthouse before major feature films nationwide and have been selected for local and international youth film festivals including the Austin Youth Film Festival, SIFF, and the Culver Youth Film Festival. Just as important as the filmmaking itself is the collaboration, patience, and creative problem-solving kids develop along the way as they learn to make decisions as a group, respect each other's ideas, and tell stories that matter to them. Dress your child in comfortable clothes ready for an active, creative day, and pack a lunch and snacks as food is not provided. If your child has ever had a story to tell, Film Kids is exactly where they should be telling it.