Oklahoma Teen Film Festival Will Happen at UCO

The Oklahoma Teen Film Festival, which was founded by the University of Central Oklahoma to give high school students a platform to showcase their creativity and express themselves through filmmaking, will take place on March 28 for an all-day event at the Liberal Arts and Mass Communications Building.

Dr. Megan Cox, Faculty Advisor and Assistant Chair of Mass Communications, will lead the 2026 event for the second year. She will be assisted by Milos Ajdinovic, Assistant Professor of UCO, and Victor Caballero, Director of Education and Outreach at deadCenter Film.

“We wanted something for Oklahoma students to be able to put their work out there in a fun and competitive manner,” said Dr. Cox.

Mark Scott, Associate Professor and Advisor for UCentral News, described what this event can do for UCO: “It can help us develop a program to show what UCO has to offer.”

By allowing students to submit a list of genres and styles, this event encourages students to share stories with the audience.

The festival will feature screenings of short films created by high school students, followed by discussions with college and high school filmmakers. In addition to the film screenings, this event also includes filmmaking workshops hosted by UCO, Oklahoma City Community College, deadCenter, and Rose State, and a competition.

These include workshops on lighting, sound, acting, directing, production design, and makeup. 

Candie Lindsay, a professional makeup artist, will be hosting a makeup workshop and will be a judge for the event.

“I chose to be a judge for this festival because I have spent nearly 30 years working in theater and film, and I know firsthand how transformative early encouragement can be for young artists,” said Lindsay.

Lindsay continued, “When I started in theater back in 1998, I was 15 years old and eager to perform, but I also loved stage makeup and teaching the other singers how to apply their makeup for the show.”

“My goal is to help them continue pursuing film and all the artistry that comes with it. Whether that’s makeup, production design, cinematography, or any other aspect of the industry, I want these young filmmakers to leave understanding that this is a viable career path.”

The goal is to continue to show that these young filmmakers can find a career down this path.  

Competition winners in first and second place in each category will receive free VIP entry to the event and prizes of $100 for first place and $50 for second place. The overall winner of the festival will also receive a trophy and two free passes to the deadCenter Film Festival 2026.

Tickets for the event are available for $8. Tickets and any additional information can be found at https://filmfreeway.com/OklahomaTeenFilmFestival.