Frequently asked questions

The film festival consists of eleven categories with fiction and nonfiction options. They are the following:
  • My AI
    AI focused. Fiction or nonfiction. Any genre. Any film festival category. NO AI generated films will be accepted
  • My Animation
    Fiction or nonfiction. Any genre. Any film festival category. Claymation & Lego stop motion included.
  • My Art
    Arts and crafts (sculpting, painting, photography, drawing, etc…). Could be time-lapse video.
  • My Audition
    Display of acting prowess as if in front of casting.
  • My Experience
    Convey distinctive or problematic aspects of life in HOME country, region, city/village, or school. Autobiographical or Citizen journalism.
  • My Food
    Cooking or baking show; new recipe; restaurant review; plane food; food implications (religious, geographic, ethnic, environmental, health).
  • My Music
    Production highlighting student singing and (or) instrumentals.
  • My Poetry
    Highlighting poem written by member of production team.
  • My Shorts
    A short fictional story or scene (possibly intertextual or based on a real-life event). Any genre.
  • My Trailer
    Trailer to a proposed movie that a student wants to produce or see produced. Any genre.
  • My Voice
    Address social, political, and (or) economic issue and suggest ways of tackling it OR share inspirational advocacy or humanitarian work being done by students at school.

No more than 2 minutes

Yes, but no one movie can be placed in more than two categories.

Any films produced between December 15 (2024) and immediately prior to the submission deadline of April 11(2025) are eligible for submission.

While there will be special recognitions for various laudible aspects of submitted films, there are ultimately two categories in which prizes will be award in both middle and upper school: Fiction and Nonfiction. The eleven categories are the film festival’s submission entry points. Still, all contenders will receive a digital ”Finalists Certificate”.

No. Middle School will compete separately from upper school students. However, the film festival does not oppose some vertical diversity in student production teams. While every film must be submitted either in the Middle or Upper category, the following combinations would be permissible:
  • A
    Middle school students may serve as major or minor actors as well as secondary crew members in UPPER SCHOOL productions. Adults may play minor acting roles.
  • B
    Upper school students may play secondary roles as actors and/or crewmembers in MIDDLE SCHOOL productions. Adults may also play minor acting roles.

    The DO's:
  • All films must represent original work by the members of each production team.
  • All films must be 2 minutes or less. All others will be disqualified.
  • All films must be produced primarily by Novy Porg students
  • All films may include names of student production team members; however, all films must include the name of the responsible Production Team and school represented.
  • All films that utilize 3rd -party music must clear this with the original owners/license holders. Copyright and Fair Use laws must be respected
    • The DONT's
  • No submission may contain any third-party work, INCLUDING ANY MUSICAL RECORDING OR COMPOSITION, unless (1) Production Team has a license to use such work in the submission from the owners/licensors; (2) such work is in the public domain.
  • No submission may contain pornography or obscene content.
  • No submission may infringe on a third party’s intellectual property/privacy rights.
  • No submission may contain any form of hate speech (based on gender, gender orientation, ethnicity, race, religion, nationality, etc.)
  • No submission may contain any third-party work, INCLUDING ANY MUSICAL RECORDING OR COMPOSITION, unless (1) Production Team has a license to use such work in the submission from the owners/licensors; (2) such work is in the public domain. Remember, the spirit of this festival is the amplification of original creativity and personal voices.

If the film festival organizers are aware of a submission that has not adhered to the above stated rules and guidelines, that submission will be eliminated from the competition. However, if time allows and the violation was accidental, festival organizers will attempt to provide the Production Team an opportunity to resubmit their film.

ALL submitting student production teams will receive both an official certificate of participation as well as written jury feedback. We believe that this type of substantive feedback will make our film festival special and personally valuable to all participating Novy Porg students.

The Directorship of the Break the Frame Film Festival at Novy Porg is also facilitating the International Student Shorts Film Festival. Therefore, the winners and highest rated films made by Novy Porg students in April will also be placed in the international competition in May (up to three Novy Porg films per submission category).