MOLAA + LBUSD
Student Film Festival!
One Frame At A Time
May 31, 2026
Join us on Sunday, May 31st, for the film screening and panel discussion with industry experts!
2026 DAtes and Deadlines
March 15, 2026 - Submission Portal Opens
May 1, 2026 - Final submissions due for all applications
May 18, 2026 Finalists are notified this week by email
May 31, 2026 - Film Screening and Awards Ceremony at MOLAA
Program AT A GLANCE - Sunday May 31, 2026*
12:00PM Welcoming Remarks
12:30 PM Industry Panel
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Finalists Screenings
3:30PM Awards Ceremony and Reception
*Times subject to change
MOLAA Student Film Festival 2026: One Frame at a Time
Presented by MOLAA’s Department of Education and LBUSD’s Office of Pathways and Business Engagement
MOLAA and LBUSD’s Office of Pathways & Business Engagement are excited to invite LBUSD high school students grades 9-12, to participate in its 2nd annual One Frame at a Time Student Film Festival. The festival will take place, in person, at MOLAA’s Viva Event Center in Long Beach, CA on Sunday, May 31, 2026. Individuals or small teams of students are challenged to create a short two to three-minute video for one of our four categories. Each student or group may submit one film into this contest. A student may submit one film as part of a group, and one as an individual.
Art, social equity, and education content is a plus! Submission will require a short 200-500 word artist/group statement.
You can find the festival rules and eligibility for submission in our submission link above.
Questions? For additional information, please contact us at Student_Film_Festival@molaa.org
This year’s theme is “ESCAPE”
MOLAA invites submissions that push creative boundaries, or “escape” from expected forms and ideas – whether that be through storytelling; choice of subject; cinematography or technique (sound, light, editing, animation, etc); or mise-en-scène (set design, props, costumes, performance). Give us your unexpected!
Category Topics:
Animation
Drama
Comedy/Satire
Documentary/Broadcast
*(Shhh…we also have a special “Balboa Award” given to the top silent film in honor of MOLAA’s location history as the once famous Balboa Amusement Producing Company).
Finalists Will Also Receive:
Film Festival Award certificate.
Mention in MOLAA newsletter and social media.
Potential use of film in future MOLAA events and programs.
A distinguished group of judges from the Hollywood film industry and local Long Beach Cultural Centers will determine the Award Winners based on storytelling, creativity, technical and art/educational content.
Finalists are required to attend the MOLAA Film Screening and Awards Ceremony on the afternoon of May 31st at the Museum to receive their recognition.
Questions? For additional information, please contact us at Student_Film_Festival@molaa.org
2026 Judges Panel
Welcoming Remarks by Helen Hernandez
Helen Hernandez grew up in a family of community service and caring for others which set the trajectory for her lifelong career as a community advocate.
In 1980, Helen was hired as Director of Public Affairs for Tandem/TAT Communications and three years later, promoted to Vice President. Serving as the company’s spokesperson and managing the corporate giving programs, she also worked with producers and writers to ensure accurate portrayals of diverse groups in the media and fair representation of social issues. Among the programs that Helen established, working directly with legendary television producer Norman Lear, was the Imagen Awards.
For the past three decades, Helen has served as the President and Founder of The Imagen Foundation and Executive Producer of the Imagen Awards. In 2015, Helen was appointed as a Commissioner of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission by Supervisor Hilda Solis, serving as its President in 2019. In 2017, Helen was also tasked by the Board of Supervisors to Co-Chair the Advisory Committee for Cultural Equity & Inclusion whose mission was to provide the arts to all residents of Los Angeles County. The program proved to be extremely successful.
In 2022, Helen has been honored with the Ohtli Award, a prestigious recognition given to individuals of Mexican-American or Mexican descent living in the United States by the Mexican government. She is a member of The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and PBS SoCal Board of Directors.
Meet our Judges!
Yvette Espinosa is a distinguished Producer with two decades of success leading complex creative and technical projects in the entertainment and digital marketing sectors. Her comprehensive experience spans animation (CG/2D), live action, and VFX where she has been instrumental in managing multi-million-dollar budgets and implementing strategic, optimized production workflows. Yvette’s core strengths lie in creative leadership, where she acts as a vital liaison between artistic vision and production feasibility, and high-stakes vendor negotiations which consistently results in significant cost efficiencies. She has a deep track record of fostering 24/7 collaboration across domestic and international teams and has delivered content for major intellectual proper.es across Marvel Studios, Disney TV Animation, Warner Bros TV Animation, Nickelodeon, and Ne[lix flagship series F IS FOR FAMILY, alongside branded content for campaigns (Toyota, Quest Nutrition) and she is currently working on The Simpsons, the longest running animated cartoon that is now in its 37th season and just completed airing their 800th episode. Calm under pressure and focused on strategic execution, Yvette is an expert in delivering high-quality content that aligns perfectly with business and marketing objectives.
Guillermo Casarín is a Mexican director, screenwriter, and producer whose work has been recognized by the DGA, Emmys, BAFTA, and over 130 film festivals. He’s collaborated with renowned clients such as HBO, CVS Health, and the White House. His documentary Bad Hombrewood featured Guillermo Del Toro and other Oscar winners. He directed the PSA "Este año, tu voto es Cosa Seria," which reached 46 million Latinos and starred Edward James Olmos. He has a MFA from USC, with a George Lucas scholarship.
Polaris Castillo is an Indigenous Mexican-American artist and filmmaker of documentaries, short films, music videos, and commercials. His work has been showcased at the Museum of Indigenous People, imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, ¡VIVA EL CINE! Film Festival, San Diego Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival, San Diego Latino Film Festival, Toronto Queer Film Festival, Red Nation International Film Festival, Inland Film Festival, O+ Festival, Root Division, Seattle Erotic Art Show, Tía Chucha's Centro Cultural, Espacio 1839, Stay Studio, Barrio Fuerza and more.
Link to his film portfolio: https://www.polariscastillo.com/video
