Get Ready for the 2027 HSOK Homeschool Film Festival
HSOK is organizing a homeschool film festival in conjunction with the 2027 state homeschooling convention!
Festival date: June 4, 2027
Homeschool Oklahoma is running a film festival for homeschooling students! The film festival will feature short films (10 minutes maximum) submitted by homeschooling students. Selected films will be shown on the big screen at a local movie theater in or near Edmond with a live audience of friends, family, and fellow homeschoolers! Specific venue details forthcoming.
We accept: comedies, dramas, thrillers, documentaries, music videos, and more! No previous filmmaking experience is required. In fact, we hope many of our submissions come from students making their very first film. We aim to show as many films as time allows! Any films not screened in the theater will be shown at lunch during the convention.
Submit your film using FilmFreeway at the link below:
Submissions open soon!
Details
Eligibility: Entries must be by a homeschool student whose family is a paying member of Homeschool Oklahoma. Become a member today! If the student is part of a collaboration, the homeschool student must either be the primary writer, director, or editor.
Content: Movies must be appropriate for general homeschool audiences.
Copyright: Students must have proper rights for all media used. Be especially careful when using music. Most songs are prohibitively license, but there are many sources of royalty free music and media that can be used, and be sure to pay attention to the details. While you are welcome to draw inspiration from stories and genres you enjoy, submissions should feature original characters, settings, and stories rather than copyrighted characters or fictional universes created by others.
Runtime: Movies must be 10 minutes or less. Note that the best length for a first-time short film is probably closer to 5 minutes.
Format: Movies should be a minimum of 1080P in order to be shown in the theater.
Selection Criteria: Our goal is to show as many student films as possible. Theater screenings will be selected based on factors such as quality, variety, runtime, and overall audience experience. Films not shown in the theater will be shown during lunch at the convention.
Rights: Filmmakers retain all rights to their films. By submitting, filmmakers grant Homeschool Oklahoma permission to screen the film as part of the festival and convention, as well as rights to use images and clips from the film in future advertising for the festival.
Need help? We also have a submission queue where you can submit your unfinished films for constructive feedback. First-time filmmakers are especially encouraged to use the feedback queue.
Questions? Email filmfest@hsok.org
Getting Started
Have you never made a movie and don’t even know where to start? This festival is your perfect opportunity to try it out and see what your creation looks like on the big screen! Our film festival features short films (anything less than 10 minutes), so you don’t have to make a huge production. Write a script, get some friends together, and have a blast making the movie!
Maybe you want to do a documentary instead? Take video on your field trips and put them together into a documentary about… whatever you want! Want to liven up a research project? Turn it into a documentary, and then share it with the world.
Don’t worry about whether your movie is perfect. It won’t be—and that’s okay. Your first film is an opportunity to learn, experiment, and discover what you enjoy about the creative process. Gather a few friends or family members, use whatever camera you have available, and tell a story that excites you. Some of the most memorable films are simple, creative, and made with limited resources.
The Homeschool Film Festival isn’t looking for perfection—we’re looking for people willing to create. Whether your film is funny, dramatic, adventurous, or completely unique, we’d love to see what you make. Take the challenge, finish a project, and submit it. When the festival comes around and you see your work on the big screen, you’ll be glad you did!
Why 10 Minutes?
Ten minutes is the maximum amount of time allowed, but, frankly, that is probably longer than your film should be. For a first film, 5 minutes is probably a better target than 10.
Limiting yourself in this way is one of the best ways to learn filmmaking. Most successful filmmakers started with short projects before attempting larger productions. The hardest part of a film is maintaining audience attention and engagement, and keeping it short forces you to focus on what really matters, and makes maintaining audience engagement easier.
Tickets
The films will be shown as part of the Homeschool Oklahoma 2027 State Convention, but will also be shown simultaneously at a local theater. Tickets to the theater will be purchasable at a later date.
The HSOK Homeschool Film Festival exists to give homeschool students a chance to create, share, and celebrate their films—and experience the magic of seeing their work in the same theater they watch their favorite movies in. We’re looking for individuals and businesses who want to invest in the next generation of storytellers, artists, and media creators in Oklahoma.
Whether you’re interested in sponsoring awards, supporting the festival experience, or helping us empower homeschool families, we’d love to hear from you. Email filmfest@hsok.org to start the conversation.