My Experience with the Teen Film Festival

By Ethan Gough, KCTFF Winner

The Kent County Teen Film Festival has meant a lot to me over the years. I’ve gotten so much joy out of having my work included in the yearly line up, and even more satisfaction out of watching all of the other entries. I feel that this generation has been blessed with such easy access to filmmaking tools --- we literally carry cameras in our pockets wherever we go --- and thanks to KDL, people in my age group have a place where we can submit our films and have them be seen.

I am eternally grateful to everyone involved in putting the festival on. They’ve done so much for us young filmmakers, and I treasure the memories I’ve collected over the past few years I’ve been submitting. Winning best Live Action Short for the 2020 ceremony is a particular highlight. I had never received an accolade of that caliber in my life. I was never on the winning sports team, and I never excelled at anything that wasn’t related to storytelling, so finally receiving recognition for something I was passionate about was a very formative experience for me. It caused me to see a bit more value in myself, and my confidence was given a much needed boost.

I think every teen in Kent County should enter this festival. It’s a great way to get your short film out there, and it is so much fun. I can guarantee that if they're truly passionate about filmmaking, they'll love the Kent County Teen Film Festival!