Showcasing tomorrow's talent
Arkansas TV Emerging Filmmakers is a program for kindergarten through 12th-grade students, created to highlight the bright future of Arkansas's youngest filmmakers.
Upcoming Events
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival - October 15, 2026
This October, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival and Arkansas TV are hosting a series of FREE student programs that empower young filmmakers by providing them with valuable insights and practical training in the art and craft of documentary film.
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Student Screening
In the small town of Brooklet, Georgia, home of the annual Peanut Festival, the Southeast Bulloch High School Girls Flag Football team, led by Coach Marci Cochran and her Assistant Coach/husband Nick, is chasing perfection with an astounding 62-0 record. As fierce rivals aim to dethrone the three-time state champions, these young athletes unite to defend their legacy in one of America’s fastest-growing sports. Can they stay undefeated, or will the weight of expectation finally break their streak?
BEST FOR: Middle, Junior and High School students
TIME: 9:00 a.m.
LOCATION: Arlington Hotel
Arkansas TV Emerging Filmmakers Program
The Emerging Filmmakers Program, a long-standing partnership between HSDFF and Arkansas TV, is one of our most cherished educational initiatives. This full-day experience welcomes middle and high school students from across the state to engage in thought-provoking screenings, interactive Q&A sessions, and hands-on workshops. Designed to immerse young storytellers in the craft of documentary filmmaking, the program features guidance from award-winning filmmakers and top industry professionals. Since its inception, the program has welcomed hundreds of students from more than 30 schools.
BEST FOR: Middle, Junior and High School students
TIME: 9:00 a.m.
LOCATION: Arlington Hotel
Pitch Session
Have a documentary idea? Pitch it live and get feedback from Ben Proudfoot and other film professionals. Come ready to share your story idea—no finished film required. We are looking for students who would like to pitch a film project or idea. Projects may be fiction or nonfiction -- and at any stage: from conception to completion.
Students will walk away knowing how to: Find the heart of their story and say it in one sentence; Hook an audience in the first 30 seconds; and Pitch with confidence, even if public speaking makes them nervous.
If you think you may have students interested in participating, be sure to indicate such when registering. We will follow up with more information/criteria. For more information contact Deb Fuller at deb@hsdfi.org and Casey Sanders at csanders@arkansastv.gov.
Emerging Filmmakers
Enter your student film to be eligible for amazing opportunities to get your film screened beyond the classroom. What you submit is only limited to your creativity and imagination!
Awards and Prizes
The Arkansas Historic Places Student Film Prize sponsored by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and the Arkansas Humanities Council in partnership with Arkansas TV honors documentaries made by high school students about a historic property that is at least fifty years old or older. Sites do not have to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, although they may be, but must be a building, archeological site, or other site with historic significance.
A prize will also be provided by Preserve Arkansas for winning films focusing on properties currently on the Most Endangered Places list.
- Students must be in grades 5-12
- Films must be 5 to 15 minutes in length.
- Films must be non-fiction.
- Formats include, but are not limited to, video, animation, stop-motion, and Claymation.
- Films must focus in some way on a historic site in the state of Arkansas that is 50 years old or older.
- Presentations in other forms, like PowerPoint, will not be accepted.
Rules and Guidelines
- Students must be a public, private or home school student in Arkansas.
- Formats and genres include, but are not limited to: narrative, documentary, music video and PSA.
- Presentations in other forms, like PowerPoint, will not be accepted.
- Films can be any length, with the exception of the "Arkansas Historic Places Student Film Prize."
- Submissions must be provided digitally via FilmFreeway. If you cannot deliver your film digitally please contact Casey Sanders at csanders@arkansastv.gov.
- Students must agree to the terms and conditions stated below.
- Students must adhere to the rules of each individual contest you are entering.
Terms and Conditions
Arkansas TV reserves the right to flag and edit any program that has sensitive content. The flag categories are "sex," violence," and "language." There is an additional distinction between real and dramatic violence. Examples of flags include, but are not limited to, sexual situations, dramatic/real dead bodies, and offensive language.
Arkansas TV may distribute the program in its entirety, including any and all titles and credits, at its discretion, or preempt its scheduled release for any reason.
The producer grants "Arkansas TV Emerging Filmmakers" the non-exclusive rights to reproduce any part of the film and to exhibit the film by any medium for the purposes of broadcast/screening or its promotion. This includes its online distribution through the Arkansas TV website and/or a third party, such as YouTube.
In addition the producer guarantees that he/she has obtained all the necessary permissions and clearances to enter this film and that the film and all of its elements and/or screening of the film does not infringe on the copyrights of any third party. Any claims made by any person or entity against the film, actors, crew, locations, or any other party are entirely the responsibility of the producer. The producer also assures guidelines specified on this page.