Teens urged to create for the screen

For every teenager who ever dreamed of making a movie, the Sonoma County Library is offering a chance to make that dream come true.

Amateur filmmakers can now submit their films to the Sonoma County Library's fourth annual Teen Film Festival competition, which runs through July 31.

Winning films will be shown at the Teen Film Festival Premiere at 6:30 pm Aug. 28 at the Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library. The event is open to all, and will include refreshments and prize presentations.

Winning films will also be posted to the library's YouTube channel sometime in August.

Teens seeking more information on festival submission guidelines should visit a library branch or go online to the Teenspace blog at sonomalibrary.org.

“This competition inspires creativity and collaboration among our teens, and provides a fun, positive way to share their passion for film with a larger audience than they might otherwise be able to reach,” Library Event Specialist Megan Backus said in a statement announcing the competition.

“We've got a handful of students, like India and Ella, who have submitted films multiple years in a row and it's amazing to see how their skills have developed,” Backus added. “Because the participants are minors, we do not disclose their last names.”

Sonoma County residents ages 12 to 19 can submit an original film up to six minutes long. Entrants will be grouped into three age categories: 12- to 13-year-olds; 14-to-16-year-olds; and 17-to-19-year-olds.

The top film in each age group will receive a $100 gift card to a Sonoma County movie theater of the winner's choice. Sonoma County Library teen services librarians will serve as film judges.

Aspiring teen filmmakers can check out camera equipment, free of charge, through the library's E Street Studios, located at the Central Santa Rosa branch.

The library also has books available on film production and script writing and numerous movies to study,

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at [email protected] or 707-521-5243. On X @danarts.