Reel Spirit Young Filmmakers

Reel Spirit, the Youth division of Kansas City FilmFest, engages, educates, and empowers young filmmakers in grades 2-9 through a youth film competition. Entries must be completely student created and are judged by industry professionals. Grades 2-9 Categories include: Animation, Commercial, Documentary, Narrative, Factual News Feature, Fictional News Feature, PSA (Public Service Announcement), and "Reel" Spirit of STEAM(Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). Maximum run times range from 2-5 minutes. Filmmakers of winning films and their families are invited to attend the Reel Spirit Young Filmmakers Showcase, which may be held in person or online. This year may be challenging both for filmmakers and event production. We encourage all young filmmakers to find creative ways to engage in this "new normal" and present the best they have to offer. COVID-19 Disclaimer: We’re excited to welcome entries for our Reel Spirit Showcase competition in April 2022! Due to the extenuating circumstances, we know filmmaking may be a challenge this year. If we don’t receive enough submissions to hold a competition, we reserve the right to either host an online event only, with no awards, or to simply cancel the Reel Spirit Showcase. In the event of a cancellation of the the entire Showcase, we will issue a refund to all films entered.