Following the successful premiere of the inaugural Prescott Youth Film Festival on May 27, 2025, as part of the Prescott Youth Film Program, the organizers are proud to announce that four student-created films have been officially selected to screen at the upcoming Prescott Film Festival this July.
The May 27th Film Premiere event showcased six original short films written, produced, filmed, and edited by 24 student filmmakers between the ages of 9 and 17. Nearly 300 community members from the Quad Cities area attended the red-carpet screening, celebrating the creativity and dedication of the next generation of filmmakers. The films and filmmakers were recognized with awards at the festival, highlighting the exceptional talent and hard work of the student participants.
A special guest at the event, Helen Stephenson — Founder and Executive Director of the Prescott Film Festival — spoke about the importance of independent films and film festivals in the AZ area.
Shortly after the premiere of the six films, the Prescott Film Festival extended an invitation to four of the PYFP films: Broach, Galaxy Heroes, Picture Day, and Flying Through the Memories. to be included in the Arizona and AZ Student Film Showcase at this year’s Prescott Film Festival.
These student films will be featured on Wednesday, July 16 at 1:00 p.m. in the Jim and Linda Lee Performing Arts Center at Yavapai College’s Prescott Campus. This marks an exciting second opportunity for the students to share their work with a broader audience and be recognized among Arizona’s growing filmmaking community.
In January 2025, the Youth Film Program launched at The Movement Studio in Prescott Valley. This groundbreaking seasonal program aimed to empower young filmmakers, aged 9-17, to transform their passion for storytelling into professional skills. Over five months, a group of 24 students wrote, filmed, and edited their film projects, creating original short films using professional equipment and mentorship from industry experts, and Hollywood Visual FX.
Students gained invaluable experience working in collaborative teams, creating professional-quality short films, and preparing for creative careers in the digital age. The program hopes to grow in the following years to become a hub for original film and media content in Arizona, and aims to create partnerships with organizations and communities to create media career pathways, and promote film education and production in the Prescott area. The next Semester is scheduled to start in January 2026.
“This is just the beginning,” said Gulliver Parascandolo, co-founder of the Prescott Youth Film Program. “We are honored that four of our students’ films have been selected for the PFF. The Quad City community’s support for this project is what made these films possible, and we’re excited that the PFF is the first stop for these films as they begin their film festival tour. It’s an amazing opportunity for these young filmmakers, and the community will be blown away when they see these films!”
The public is encouraged to attend and show their support for Arizona’s youth filmmakers. For event details and ticket information, visit www.prescottfilmfestival.com.
For students, parents, or filmmaking professionals, or sponsors of the arts who would like to get involved in the PYFP, please Join our Facebook Group for updates and information and to contact our team.
For more information about the Prescott Youth Film Program please contact:
Christine Parascandolo
Email: YouthFilmPrograms@gmail.com
Phone: (619) 606-2423
