Calling all CSU Student Filmmakers

Have you made a film about a human rights issue? We want to see it.

ACT Human Rights Film Festival is seeking films by current CSU students and recent CSU alumni for our 12th annual festival, taking place April 1–4, 2027, in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Your film can be a documentary, narrative, animation, experimental film, short or feature. It can come from any major, college, department or program at CSU. If you made a film that engages with a human rights issue, we want to hear from you.

What are human rights?

Human rights are the fundamental rights and freedoms that belong to every person, everywhere. They include the right to live free from discrimination and violence, the right to education and freedom of expression, the right to a safe environment, the right to seek asylum, and the right to participate in the cultural life of a community.

Human rights are not just something discussed in a classroom or in the news. They shape our everyday lives and the lives of people around the world. Read more about human rights as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Films have the power to make those issues personal. They can introduce us to people and experiences we might never otherwise encounter, challenge what we think we know, and create opportunities for meaningful conversation.

Why a human rights film festival?

ACT brings together films, filmmakers, audiences, students, educators, advocates and community organizations to explore human rights through storytelling.

Since 2016, ACT has screened more than 290 films from 48 countries and welcomed nearly 200 filmmakers and protagonists to Fort Collins. Our festival is part of an international network of human rights film festivals and a larger community of filmmakers using their work to help us understand the world and one another.

ACT is also the largest film festival in Northern Colorado. Our annual festival attracts thousands of people from Fort Collins, CSU, the Denver metro area and beyond.

In other words, this is a real film festival with a real audience, and a track record of screening some of the best films on human rights anywhere.

Why submit your film?

If your film is selected, you will have the opportunity to:

• See your work on the big screen as part of a professional film festival
• Add an official ACT Human Rights Film Festival selection to your CV, résumé, website and filmography
• Gain bragging rights. You made a film. Let people know.
• Meet and mingle with filmmakers from around the world who are attending the festival
• Receive a full festival pass
• Introduce your work to new audiences and connect with people working across film, human rights, education and community organizing
• Become part of ACT’s growing community of filmmakers, audiences and partners

For emerging filmmakers, festival experience matters. Having your work selected by ACT gives you a chance to experience what it is like to have a film programmed, presented and seen by an audience outside the classroom.

And yes, “Official Selection, ACT Human Rights Film Festival” looks pretty good on a CV.

Who can submit?

You are eligible if:

• You are currently enrolled at Colorado State University, or
• You graduated from CSU less than three years ago
• You directed the film
• You are from any CSU major, college, department or program
• Your film was completed in 2025 or later
• Your film engages meaningfully with a human rights topic or issue

Each director can submit TWO films. Students can be credited on more than two films, but directors need to select no more than two films to submit.

We welcome films of all genres, lengths and approaches.

How to submit

There is no complicated submission platform and no fees. Just send an email to:

beth@actfilmfest.org

Please include:

1. Film title and synopsis
2. What human right(s) your film explores/highlights.
3. A link to watch the film via Vimeo, YouTube, Google Drive or another accessible platform
4. Director’s name and contact information
5. Your CSU affiliation, including your major/program and graduation year if applicable
6. A note confirming that you consent to ACT screening the film if it is selected

Submission deadline: January 15, 2027

That’s it.

Make something that matters. Tell a story that needs to be told. We’d love to see what you’re making.

Questions? beth@actfilmfest.org