Quiet on the Set! Film Festival
brought to you by Wharton Studio Museum
Due to organizational issues beyond our control, Quiet on the Set! Film Festival is on hiatus in 2025 and will return in June 2026. We are truly sorry for any inconvenience this causes. Thank you for your understanding and patience and we look forward to a wonderful student film fest next year!
About
Inspired by our region’s role in early moviemaking, Quiet on the Set! is a terrific opportunity for local youth to showcase their creativity by making short silent films. Films are reviewed by a jury of local educators and arts professionals.
Prizes are awarded to the top three entries, which are revealed each year at a Screening & Awards Ceremony at local independent movie theatre Cinemapolis in downtown Ithaca.
Registration required — No filmmaking experience necessary
Thank you to Presenting Sponsor Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College for their continued support (2019 - Present)
History
WSM is thrilled to continue our short silent film festival for youth — 2025 marks our 7th year!
The festival began in 2017 with three submitted films and was co-hosted by Cinemapolis. While we skipped 2018, the fest came back strong in 2019 with sixteen submitted films and sponsorship support from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College which also hosted the screening and awards ceremony in the Park Auditorium on IC’s campus. In 2020, due to the pandemic, we had to pivot and produce the festival as a virtual event, and we were so grateful to everyone who took part during such a complicated time.
In 2021 WSM & Ithaca High School collaborated on the virtual soft premiere of Quiet on the Set! exclusively with Ithaca High School Media Arts students. Our filmmakers were approaching the end of an unprecedented school year, one in which their lives differed distinctly from any expectations they might have had, and they had a lot to express. Some of the films were funny, or fantastical, some dealt directly with issues of mental health and boredom or monotony, all of them were wonderful, and we felt honored to watch. 2022 found us back in-person at Cinemapolis with a wonderful slate of submissions. We took a break in 2023 and came back in 2024 with producing partner Story House Ithaca.
Throughout the years, our goals for the film festival have remained the same: to introduce silent filmmaking as a form of visual storytelling to young people, and to encourage and celebrate their ideas and imagination. Quiet on the Set! is an opportunity for local youth to create something and then have the fun of screening and celebrating their work with audience comprised of family, friends, and jury members, and perhaps win a prize in the process!
We hope to continue the festival and be able to add to this History section!
View films from past festivals: Youtube
Past Winners
2024
1st Place
On the Company’s Dime
(TST BOCES)
DIRECTED BY August D.
WITH Erin B., Ethan P., and Scianna S.
2nd Place
Smudgies
(Ithaca High School)
DIRECTED BY Abigail G. and Emily R.
3rd Place
Tea At Mr. Vanian’s
(Whitney Point)
DIRECTED BY David and Gerek T.
Honorable Mentions
CHIQUITA
(Ithaca High School)
DIRECTED BY Elijah Rey B. and Andrew Knox T.
WITH Theo Caspar S. and Benjamin William K.
The Scholar’s Folly
(TST BOCES)
DIRECTED BY Talen Scott H.
WITH Emma Elizabeth K., Caden Marshal L., and Riley Raymond W.
2022
1st Prize
YOU'VE DONE IT THIS TIME directed by Marcella W.
2nd Prize
THE BACKGROUND MUSIC directed by Evan K. J.
3rd Prize
WRITER'S BLOCK directed by Robin A.
Honorable Mentions
THE THING directed by Julian R.
A CRUMMY CRIME directed by Cole R.
2021
1st Prize
GRASS ISN'T GREENER ACROSS THE ROAD directed by Isabelle Adie
2nd Prize
DINNER TIME directed by Suraphael Barton
3rd Prize
TO GRANDMA'S HOUSE WE GO? directed by Kieran Shulman and Lili Rotondi
Honorable Mentions
304 directed by Alexandra St. Pierre-Nguyen
BETRAYAL directed by Marlin Hamm
Contact
Email: [email protected]
Get Involved
We would love to hear from you!
If you are a teacher, educator, or other organizer who would like to collaborate with us on the festival. Teachers have made past festivals a class project or elective extra credit. This symbiosis brings us more submissions while celebrating and showcasing student work in a unique, exciting way that encourages student creativity and exceeds simply receiving a grade.
If you are a local arts or education organization, such as a library, and you would like to be added to our list and receive future festival announcements.
If you would like to discuss volunteering for or creating an internship with the festival.