12 Competitive Film Studies Programs for High School Students
- Stephen Turban
- Jun 16
- 12 min read
If you’re interested in film, participating in a competitive program can help you explore the subject from both creative and academic perspectives. These opportunities introduce you to areas such as film analysis, screenwriting, directing, cinematography, editing, and media studies while helping you develop critical thinking, storytelling, and visual communication skills. They also provide exposure to the artistic, technical, and cultural dimensions of filmmaking.
Why should I do a competitive film studies program in high school?
Film studies programs allow you to examine how films are created, interpreted, and discussed while building skills that extend across the arts and humanities. Depending on the program, you will analyze influential films, develop screenplays, study film history, create short films, learn editing techniques, or conduct research on media and visual culture under the guidance of instructors and industry professionals. These experiences can help you strengthen your creative portfolio, deepen your understanding of cinema as an art form, and explore potential pathways in film, media, and related fields.
With that in mind, here are 12 competitive film studies programs for high school students!
If you’re looking for online summer film programs, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
Several programs are free or paid, including NYU Tisch Future Filmmakers Workshop, Museum of the Moving Image Teen Council (stipend), Brooklyn Interns for Arts and Culture ($1,100 stipend), BRIC Teen Filmmaking Bootcamp ($200 stipend), and Warner Bros. Discovery Reach Honorship ($19/hr plus a $5,000 scholarship).
Programs span a wide range of film disciplines, including screenwriting and TV writing (Iowa Young Writers' Studio), cinematography and editing (NYU Tisch, BRIC, BAVC Media), film programming and curation (Museum of the Moving Image, Atlanta Film Society), and film studies research (Lumiere, Telluride TASS).
Several programs prioritize students from underrepresented backgrounds or without prior access to film education, including NYU Tisch Future Filmmakers Workshop, BRIC Teen Filmmaking Bootcamp, and BAVC Media Next Gen Program.
Students looking for professional industry experience can apply to the Warner Bros. Discovery Reach Honorship, Atlanta Film Society internships, and Brooklyn Interns for Arts and Culture, all of which place students inside working media and entertainment organizations.
Deadlines for competitive programs vary widely, from October and November for the Museum of the Moving Image and NYU Tisch to February and March for CSSSA and Iowa Young Writers' Studio, so students should plan applications across multiple months.
Location: Remote , you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas, including film studies. The program pairs you with a Ph.D. mentor to work 1-on-1 on an independent film studies research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can find more details about the application here.
Location: Museum of the Moving Image, Astoria, NY
Cost: None. A stipend is provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 15-20 students selected
Dates: Select Wednesdays and Saturdays from November to May. Attendance required at Teen Council Community Event (March) and the Teen Film Festival (May).
Application Deadline: October 17
Eligibility: Current 11th-12th grade students (or equivalent) in NYC aged 15+. Applicants must have a demonstrated interest in audiovisual and media arts.
The Museum of the Moving Image Teen Council provides a select group of high school students with professional development and work experience in media and film studies. You’ll be in charge of curating and organizing the Museum’s public programming for youth, including media workshops, educational events on film and television, and the annual Teen Film Festival. You’ll develop professional skills in event planning and project management within the field of film studies and experience working in a major cultural and artistic institution. You’ll be mentored by Museum staff, professional actors, and filmmakers, through which you’ll learn about the variety of career opportunities in film studies, network with industry leaders, and develop plans for your next academic and professional steps.
Location: Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, and Boston
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Application Deadline: Multiple summer cohorts; rolling admissions.
Program Dates: 2 weeks during the summer
Eligibility: Students aged 13-18 currently enrolled in middle or high school
The Academic Insights Program lets high school students experience university life firsthand. You will live on campus, study in small groups of 7-10, and learn from tutors from top universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. You can explore a wide range of subjects spanning 20+ options, including Architecture, AI, Business Management, Computer Science, Economics, Medicine, Philosophy, and more. The courses are experiential and focus on hands-on learning. You may find yourself conducting dissections in medicine, designing a robotic arm in engineering, participating in a moot court for law, or building creative writing portfolios and business case studies. By the end of the program, you’ll complete a personal project, receive written feedback, and receive a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 3% acceptance rate; 25 students selected
Dates: June 21 - July 25
Application Deadline: December 3
Eligibility: Current 10th-11th grade students aged 15-17
The Telluride Association Summer Seminar is a highly competitive summer program offering intensive academic programming in the humanities and social sciences with a focus on democracy and society. You’ll choose between the CBS course, focused on intellectual and cultural contributions from people of African descent, and the AOS course, which emphasizes an interdisciplinary, humanistic study of power and social structures. You’ll merge topics across film studies, art, literature, history, politics, and more in college-level seminars led by professors from top universities. You’ll analyze films, books, and articles in class discussions and academic essays, participate in group projects and writing workshops, attend guest lectures from prestigious academics, and more.
Location: Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY
Stipend: $1,100 | Stipends are paid for each season: $275 in Summer, $325 in Fall, $500 in Spring
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 15 students selected
Dates: Fall: October - December | Spring: February - June | Summer Intensive: One week in August | Fall and Spring Sessions include 1-2 weekly meetings. Summer Intensive meets daily.
Application Deadline: June 6
Eligibility: Rising 12th-grade students attending high school in New York City (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Long Island, Queens, or The Bronx) with an interest in careers in the arts. Minimum 2.0 GPA. Proof of work eligibility required.
The Brooklyn Interns for Arts and Culture program is a paid, one-year opportunity for high school students interested in pursuing a career in the arts to access academic programming, professional development, and college application guidance. You’ll be mentored by BAM professional staff in industries across media, design, visual arts, and more, gaining personalized insight and guidance into diverse careers in media and film studies. Over the course of the year, you’ll create a plan for pursuing film studies in college, long-term professional and career goals, and wellness strategies to navigate challenges. During the college admissions process, you’ll receive one-on-one support with your application in addition to training in interviewing, resume writing, and public speaking skills.
Location: NYU Tisch School of the Arts, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; approximately 12-16 students
Dates: Saturdays from January 31 to May 9
Application Deadline: November 10
Eligibility: Current 9th–11th graders eligible for NYU financial aid, from any background but aimed at underrepresented students in film/media or those without access to similar programs; must live in the NYC Tri-State area, commute to campus, attend all sessions, and show interest and talent in film or the arts.
NYU Tisch’s competitive Future Filmmakers Workshop is a fully-funded 14-week program for high school students who would otherwise lack access to advanced programming in film studies. Offered through Tisch’s broader Future Artists Program, the workshop offers project-based training in film from academic, creative, and technical approaches, preparing you for undergraduate-level film studies coursework. You’ll be taught by an award-winning director and NYU Film and Television professor, and an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and educator. You’ll view and analyze important films through interactive discussions, receive a personal DSLR camera for hands-on filming work, learn to use post-production software like Adobe Premiere, network with professional filmmakers, and more. You’ll learn the filmmaking process across producing, directing, and editing, finishing the program with a portfolio of several short independent and collaborative films.
Location: BRIC House, Brooklyn, NY
Stipend: $200
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 12 students selected
Dates: Tuesdays from April 21 - June 9 | Summer and Winter sessions are also offered.
Application Deadline: April 5
Eligibility: High school students aged 14-18. Must be a Brooklyn resident. Students from historically underserved backgrounds are prioritized.
BRIC Arts & Media’s Teen Filmmaking Bootcamp invites 12 high school students to participate in a hands-on film studies program over the course of 8 weeks. You’ll study the entire filmmaking lifecycle across pre-production, filming, field production, video editing, and more, working in BRIC’s Emmy Award-winning studios. After successful completion of the program, you’ll receive certification to check out professional filmmaking equipment from BRIC to complete independent film projects. You’ll also be eligible for additional opportunities at BRIC, including internships, employment, and specialized media classes like audio engineering and field production.
Location: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Cost: $2,510
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; <10%
Dates: Session One: June 14-27 | Session Two: July 12-25
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Current 10th-12th grade students. A writing sample of approximately 10 pages is required.
Iowa Young Writers’ Studio is one of the most competitive and prestigious writing programs for high school students, offering a taste of its top-ranked Creative Writing MFA program. You’ll choose to specialize in one of several genre focus areas. If you’re looking for a film studies program, the TV Writing/Writers’ Room option provides an opportunity to develop a scripted narrative for the screen. In this program, you’ll collaboratively adapt a short story into a long-form dramatic TV series plot, then create a script for a pilot episode under the guidance of an expert instructor. You’ll learn about the structure of TV storytelling and the effective use of character development, conflicts, obstacles, and goals within a filmed medium. You’ll also have the chance to outline and pitch a personal project of your own, which you can expand into a fully-fledged screenplay to submit as a supplement for college applications and/or develop an original film after the program. You’ll also attend readings from faculty and visiting guest authors, participate in specialized seminars, and practice your skills in generative writing exercises and outdoor “Observatories.”
Location: Varies by internship
Stipend: Internships are paid at $19/hour. Other compensation includes a $5,000 college scholarship (paid in annual installments of $1,250) and paid summer internships at Warner Bros. Discovery Studios.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 5-6 students selected
Dates: Varies; typically between June and August
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Current 12th-grade students in Burbank or Los Angeles Counties. Minimum 3.0 GPA. Must plan to attend college following high school graduation.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Reach Honorship Program provides graduating seniors with summer internships in media and entertainment before beginning college. Film studies options can be found in the Production and Studio Operations Honorship Track, where you’ll choose from multiple opportunities across creative media, including content development, sound editing, research and design, creative affairs, and more, gaining professional experience in a major multinational film studio. Through this early entry program, you’ll return to Warner Bros. throughout college for ongoing summer internships. You’ll also receive a scholarship of $5,000 to offset the cost of your college attendance.
Location: Atlanta Film Society, Atlanta, GA
Cost: Free; interns receive a complimentary ATLFS membership
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; limited positions are offered, and most interns are undergraduate or graduate students.
Dates: Varies
Application Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: High school seniors are considered on a case-by-case basis. Interns should generally be aged 18+. Must have excellent communication skills, phone manners, organizational abilities, and enjoy working with the public.
The Atlanta Film Society offers internships across its media and business operations to highly qualified high school seniors with an interest in film. Students interested in film studies may particularly enjoy Concentration options in Screenplay Programming, Media/Video/Tech, and the Festival Intern role. In these programs, your work may include collaborating to organize and develop programming for the Academy Award®-qualifying Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF), reviewing submissions to the ATLFF, assisting with the committee review process, staging ATLFF events, and more. In other internship placements, you might conduct research on trends in film and media, write ATLFS website content, assist with volunteer engagement, or identify potential grants and funding opportunities.m
Location: San Francisco, CA
Stipend: $300
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 28 students
Dates: Fall: October 7 – December 18 | Spring: January 20 – April 30
Application Deadline: Mid-January
Eligibility: High school students aged 14-17 living in San Francisco
Hosted by the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) Media, Next Gen is a film studies program for high schoolers in the San Francisco area that offers paid training in media creation. You’ll attend two-hour sessions twice a week, where you’ll develop skills in video and animation software under the guidance of professional artists and filmmakers from the Bay Area. You’ll spend the fall semester in the Factory, or Video Production Foundations, program to work on filming in the real world; in the spring, you’ll turn your focus towards Animation. You’ll get to use BAVC Media’s advanced filmmaking equipment and software, exploring techniques from stop motion to experimental animation to post-production. You’ll also receive professional development support, including college counseling, academic and career mentorship, and guidance on preparing a film portfolio for your college applications. During the summer, BAVC Media offers an intensive month-long film studies program focused on environmental justice-oriented filmmaking.
Location: California State Summer School for the Arts, Sacramento, CA
Cost: In-State: $5,174; 60% receive financial aid | Out-of-state/International: $10,475 (no financial aid)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 45 students. The overall acceptance rate for CSSSA programs is 40%; Film is a smaller, and therefore more selective, program. Up to 20 international students may be admitted across 7 art disciplines.
Dates: July 4 - August 1
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Current 8th-12th-grade students. Primarily, California students are admitted, but out-of-state and international students are eligible.
California State Summer School for the Arts’ Film Program provides college-level academic and creative training for a select group of high school students. Under the instruction of award-winning faculty, you’ll explore specialized topics in film studies, including the history of film and pre-cinema, avant-garde and narrative film, documentary filmmaking, and more. You’ll also learn hands-on skills across the filmmaking disciplines of production, directing, screenwriting, cinematography, and more. You’ll develop and pitch film concepts, creating a series of collaborative short films over the course of the summer to be shown at a public screening in LA. Former students’ films have been accepted to prestigious film festivals, including the SFFILM International Film Festival, the Newport Beach Film Fest, and the All-American High School Film Festival.
Frequently asked questions
What types of competitive film studies programs are available for high school students?
Options include university pre-college programs (Immerse Education, Iowa Young Writers' Studio), hands-on filmmaking bootcamps (NYU Tisch, BRIC, BAVC Media), paid professional internships (Warner Bros. Discovery, Atlanta Film Society, Brooklyn Interns for Arts and Culture), museum and cultural institution programs (Museum of the Moving Image, ATLFS), interdisciplinary academic seminars (Telluride TASS), and independent research programs (Lumiere).
Are there free film studies programs for high school students?
Yes, several programs are free or paid. NYU Tisch Future Filmmakers Workshop is fully funded, Telluride TASS is free, and programs like Museum of the Moving Image Teen Council, BRIC Teen Filmmaking Bootcamp, and BAVC Media Next Gen all provide stipends. Warner Bros. Discovery pays $19/hr and offers a $5,000 college scholarship.
Which film programs are best for students interested in screenwriting or TV writing?
Iowa Young Writers' Studio offers a dedicated TV Writing and Writers' Room course where students collaboratively develop a TV pilot script. The Lumiere Research Scholar Program allows students to pursue academic research in film studies, including screenwriting theory and narrative analysis, under the guidance of a Ph.D. mentor.
Are there film programs specifically for students from underrepresented communities?
NYU Tisch Future Filmmakers Workshop specifically targets students from underrepresented backgrounds in film and media. BRIC Teen Filmmaking Bootcamp prioritizes students from historically underserved communities in Brooklyn. BAVC Media Next Gen and Brooklyn Interns for Arts and Culture also serve students who may lack access to traditional film education pathways.
Which film programs offer the most hands-on production experience?
NYU Tisch Future Filmmakers provides each student with a DSLR camera and teaches the full filmmaking process from directing to editing. The BRIC Teen Filmmaking Bootcamp covers the entire production lifecycle in Emmy Award-winning studios, and the CSSSA Film Program has students produce and screen collaborative short films with award-winning faculty. BAVC Media Next Gen covers video production and animation across two semesters.
When should I apply to competitive film studies programs for high school students?
Deadlines vary significantly by program. Museum of the Moving Image Teen Council closes October 17, NYU Tisch Future Filmmakers closes November 10, and Telluride TASS closes December 3. Iowa Young Writers' Studio closes February 1, and CSSSA closes February 28. Students should begin identifying programs in the summer or early fall to avoid missing the earliest deadlines.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program in which students work one-on-one with a mentor to develop an independent research paper.