In partnership with the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas - Girls of Promise Initiative, the Arkansas Cinema Society presents the Filmmaking Lab for Teen Girls.

This lab is for high school girls who dream of following in the footsteps of Regina King, Cholé Zhao, Ruth Carter, Kathryn Bigelow, BERT&BERTIE, Reed Morano, and other female directors, cinematographers, costume designers, editors, and screenwriters.This lab will provide an opportunity for high-school girls between the ages of 16-18 to experience all aspects of the filmmaking process, from screenwriting to production to editing. No prior filmmaking experience is necessary and the lab is FREE.

Guided by seasoned filmmakers the participants will develop a 3-5 minute short film with an emphasis on women’s empowerment and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) throughout the three-week program. The finished short film will screen during ACS’s annual FILMLAND festival.

Application Process:

Phase 1: Complete the form below, answer the essay questions and upload a short video.

Phase 2: Selected participants will be notified via email and must confirm attendance within ONE WEEK. You must also confirm you can attend all lab dates.

Class Dates: Monday-Friday, June 9-27, 2025

Location of Classes: In-Person at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts at Little Rock, AR

Application Closing Date: April 30, 2025

Watch our past films!

2019 - "Justitia"

2019 - "Ensemble"

2020 - "Super Human"

2021 - "Drop It"

2022 - "A Period Piece"

2023 - "The Gloom"

2024 - "In Her Shadows"

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“These girls learned all the different roles, a coed crew might have made that more difficult, with boys leaning toward jobs like grip — maintaining and making rigs for camera support — and girls gravitating to hair and makeup artist jobs or producing. “I’m trying to encourage girls to consider all the possibilities in a non-gendered situation. Arkansas has developed a talent pool for film and TV, Tucker says, and these girls can now be included. “There is a thriving film community here. That’s part of our mission, to give a venue and a voice to new filmmakers. That’s why the girls’ short films will be screened at our festival, FILMLAND, so they will be in the same room with other Arkansas filmmakers. That’s where it all begins.”

—  Kathryn Tucker from the Film Lab Feature, Style Section, Arkansas Democrat Gazette