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Outsiders Film Festival

The Outsiders Film Festival is a free competition for films made by elementary, middle and high school students from Texas, started in 2009 by the cinema program at San Antonio's North East School of the Arts with other local school film programs. The 18th annual festival is an all-day event on February 27, 2027, at the Lee High School Performing Arts Center, with screenings, director Q&As, workshops and panels, ending with a showcase of the top films and an awards presentation. High school students compete in narrative, documentary, animation and experimental categories with a ten-minute limit; middle and elementary school films have shorter limits, and there are pitch and script reading competitions. Entry is free on FilmFreeway, with a December 4, 2026 deadline.

Festival · San Antonio · Since 2009 · Active

Next
Feb 27, 2027
Regular Dec 4, 2026
Lee High School Performing Arts Center (1400 Jackson Keller Rd.)
North East School of the Arts (NESA) Cinema program; festival director Shauna Villarreal
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Website ↗︎
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Deadlines

DeadlineDateFee
RegularDec 4, 2026Free ↗︎
Categories
High School Narrative Short (10 min max)
High School Documentary Short
High School Animation
High School Experimental
Pitch Competition
Middle School All Films (7 min max)
Elementary School All Films (5 min max)
Script Reading Competition
Prizes
Certificates and trophies for best animation, narrative, documentary and experimental shorts, cinematography, acting, directing, and best middle and elementary school projects.

Notable

Began in 2009 as a collaboration between the North East School of the Arts cinema program and other San Antonio school film programs ↗︎
The 2027 festival is billed as the 18th annual and an all-day event with screenings, Q&As, workshops and panels ↗︎
Sources
  1. Outsiders Film Festival FilmFreeway

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