Submit Your Film
See the Program

/ Colorado Lakeside Youth Film Festival

Short films. Rising Filmmakers. Real standards. Colorado made.

A selective festival for filmmakers under 30. If your work gets in, it earned its place on screen.

Close-up over-the-shoulder shot of a young filmmaker reviewing footage on a laptop in a darkened editing suite, hands resting on keyboard, screen light illuminating their face, film stills visible on the monitor, natural ambient light from a narrow window at left
Close-up over-the-shoulder shot of a young filmmaker reviewing footage on a laptop in a darkened editing suite, hands resting on keyboard, screen light illuminating their face, film stills visible on the monitor, natural ambient light from a narrow window at left
— Curatorial Standards

Getting in means something.

Every film in the program passed a selection panel that reviews for craft, not effort. Technically rough is fine. Lazy is not.

We screen work made by filmmakers under 30, from Colorado and across the Western United States — judged to premiere-ready standards.

Wide shot of a festival screening venue interior, rows of theater seats facing a lit projection screen showing a film still, warm tungsten overhead lights, empty seats before doors open, high-contrast documentary tone
Wide shot of a festival screening venue interior, rows of theater seats facing a lit projection screen showing a film still, warm tungsten overhead lights, empty seats before doors open, high-contrast documentary tone
Candid wide shot of a post-screening Q&A, a young filmmaker standing at a microphone facing an audience in a theater, house lights low, faces of the crowd visible in soft focus, documentary-style natural lighting
Candid wide shot of a post-screening Q&A, a young filmmaker standing at a microphone facing an audience in a theater, house lights low, faces of the crowd visible in soft focus, documentary-style natural lighting
Close-up of a filmmaker's hands holding a small camera at a festival entry point, lanyard and credential badge visible, festival signage blurred in background, overcast natural daylight, high-contrast documentary tone
Close-up of a filmmaker's hands holding a small camera at a festival entry point, lanyard and credential badge visible, festival signage blurred in background, overcast natural daylight, high-contrast documentary tone
What Screens Here

Four Hours. One room.

2 Short Film Blocks

Award Ceremony

Competition & Selection

Awards for amazing work in filmmaking. Trophies will be handed out.

Curated programs of 8–12 minutes each, grouped by form and theme. No filler between features — every slot is earned.

Award categories judged by a panel with real industry credits. Recognition here carries weight outside this zip code.

Submit Your Film

Your film belongs on a real screen.

Submissions are reviewed for craft and intent. Open to filmmakers ages 30 and under. Deadline and eligibility details at FilmFreeway.

Colorado Lakeside Youth Film Festival

Short films. Rising Filmmakers. Real standards. Colorado made.

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Find us

dylanefruh@gmail.com

Denver, Colorado

Submissions via FilmFreeway

(C) 2026 Colorado Lakeside Youth Film Festival-A regional festival with no interest in lowering the bar.