• About
• Programs
• Grants
• Support
• contact

About the Camp

The Film Camp for Girls at University of Texas at Austin is nine days and eight nights of fun and film! During camp, girls will learn the nuts and bolts of filmmaking, including screenwriting, acting, cinematography and editing, while living in a private women's dorm in West Campus. Girls will find inspiration for their projects through visits to the University of Texas campus and daily film screenings, as well as "campfire chats" with industry professionals. Working in small groups, girls will create short films under the supervision and instruction of local women filmmakers in a supportive and inspiring environment. Campers will also have the opportunity to learn about media literacy and women filmmakers. At the end of camp, we'll screen the short films for an audience of friends and family at a local theatre. One final note: We are committed to making this experience open to any girl who dreams of attending our camp. Please read our Information About Tuition Assistance. We encourage everyone to apply!

Film ACTING FOR GIRLS

About Film Acting for Girls

Set in and around the University of Texas campus, Film Acting for Girls is three days of on-camera acting exercises led by acclaimed Actress and Acting Coach, Mona Lee. After an introduction to the fundamentals of Film Acting, Girls will have the opportunity to prepare and perform a scene on-camera under Mona's direction. The experience will give girls an understanding of how actors function within a film set, and Mona's insights into Show Business will be invaluable for any girl who wants to act, direct and produce films. Film Acting for Girls is open to both commuter-campers and to campers who wish to stay overnight. Commuter-campers will arrive by 9:30 a.m. and depart by 5:30 p.m. each day. Lunch is included in the cost of tuition for commuter-campers. Overnight campers will arrive 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday and depart by 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Meals and housing are included in the cost of tuition for overnight campers.

One final note: We are committed to making this experience open to any girl who dreams of attending our retreat. Please read our Information About Tuition Assistance. We encourage everyone to apply!

WHY A FILM CAMP FOR GIRLS?

We want to embolden girls to express their voice through the art of filmmaking. In order to do this, we are providing a supportive and creative environment where girls can discover the skills and tools of the trade. We strive to teach girls about filmmaking and digital technology while building leadership skills and encouraging artistic expression.

Consider the following:

The typical American girl uses some kind of media for over five hours per day, and, by the age of sixteen, she has spent more hours watching television than going to school.

In the history of filmmaking, only three women have been nominated for an Oscar for Direction: Lina Wertmuller (1976), Jane Campion (1993), and Sofia Coppola (2003). None have won.

Of 2004's top-grossing films:

• 5% had female directors
• 12% had female writers
• 3% had female cinematographers
• 6% had female editors

We want to turn these trends around by educating girls to be media-makers!

FACULTY AND STAFF

In keeping with our mission to educate girls about filmmaking, we have a dedicated faculty and staff comprised of women filmmakers who are at the top of their field. The award-winning faculty and guest speakers include working female filmmakers, editors, cinematographers, writers, and producers. Our 2009 faculty will include:

Mona Lee (Actress, Acting Coach, Author) has been cast in over 50 films and television movies, including Hope Floats, Miss Congeniality, Dazed and Confused and Waking Life.  Trained at both the University of Texas and Julliard, Mona brings her extensive background in stage performance to the craft of screen acting.  Mona has been coaching actors since 1980 through her BriteLites acting studio in Central Austin.  She is also the author of The Biz, a show business reference guide used by many working actors in Texas.  Mona continues to actively support her unions by serving on the Houston Council of SAG.

Michelle Voss (Writer, Director, Editor, Producer) recently won Best Documentary at Earth Vision Film Festival for her film, Velocity.  As the writer, director and producer of Velocity, Michelle received numerous funding awards, including the Sustainable Development Fund Film Grant, to complete the film.  Velocity is currently in distribution with The Video Project. Michelle's work has been shown at Arthouse at the Jones Center for Contemporary Art, and her short video, Ballerinas, was selected for the 2006 Faces of Austin Exhibition in City Hall. In 2000, Michelle completed a degree in Radio, Television, Film from the University of Texas at Austin where she was also a member of the Speech Team, placing fifth in the nation in persuasive speaking. Michelle created the Femme Film Texas programs in order to teach filmmaking and digital technology to young women and girls.  She is the founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Moving Image Arts & Education, which sponsors the Femme Film Texas programs. 

Kat Candler (Writer, Director, Editor, Producer) debuted her first feature film, cicadas, in 2000 at the Austin Heart of Film Festival where it picked up the audience award.  Kat wrote her next script, jumping off bridges, which was one of 50 finalists in the 2002 Chesterfield Fellowship Competition, a Semi-Finalist in the 2002 Sundance Screenwriter's Lab and a participant in the 2002 IFP Market's Emerging Narrative Section.  In 2004, Candler's short film, Roberta Wells , premiered at the 2004 Slamdance Film Festival and was chosen for the 2004 Slamdance Shorts Compilation DVD. Her latest script, Brain Brawl , was selected for the 2004 IFP Market's Emerging Narrative Section, was a Quarter Finalist in the 2004 Slamdance Screenplay Competition, and won the Grand Prize at the 2005 Rhode Island International Film Festival Screenplay Competition.  In January of 2005, Kat's second featured, jumping off bridges, premiered at the 2006 South by Southwest Film Festival. The film was a participant in the 2005 inaugural IFP Rough Cuts Lab and a recipient of a 2005 Texas Filmmaker's Production Fund Grant. 

Stacy Schoolfield (Producer, Editor, Writer, Director) forged careers in book publishing and software, spending her weekends working on films. While living in Seattle working as a program manager for a major software company, Stacy wrote and directed her second short film. She has worked on more than a dozen short and feature-length films in 35MM, 16MM, and digital video as producer, camera, assistant director, location sound and editor. She served as a producer on jumping off bridges and handled the daily production management as unit production manager/line producer and post-production supervisor. She's completed several scripts and directed Rescue Me, a feature-length documentary about people who adopt shelter animals. Current projects include directing Roadside Texas, a documentary about encounters with disappearing culture, characters and history on the roadsides of Texas.

INFORMATION ABOUT TUITION ASSISTANCE

The Film Camp for Girls is an incubator for diversity in the media arts, and, as such, we are committed to making this experience open to girls everywhere. We are especially interested in making this opportunity available to high-achieving girls who are unable to put together the financial resources to attend the camp. In order to qualify for tuition assistance, we would like for you to demonstrate financial need and scholastic excellence. There are a number of ways to demonstrate both, so we have created an Application for Tuition Assistance to guide you through possible qualifications. Please don't let these qualifications discourage you from applying! If you think we should consider you, please apply! Click here to download our Application for Tuition Assistance in Word Format or in PDF Format.

OVERNIGHT CAMP FAQ

Where will campers be staying?

Campers will be staying in a dorm on the University of Texas campus. Each camper will have one roommate. Roommates will be randomly assigned based on age groups. If you have a roommate preference (i.e., you already know another camper and you both were accepted), both campers have the opportunity to indicate this preference when they are accepted. We will try to accommodate every request. More information about the dorm will be provided once you are accepted into camp.

What meals are included? Do I need any spending money?

There will be three meals a day included in the cost of tuition. We will also provide snacks each day - as well as special treats! Campers may want to bring a nominal amount of spending money for any extra drinks or snacks, or to purchase UT memorabilia.

When does camp start and end?

Check-in will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, 2009. All campers must be checked-in by 3:00 p.m. Check-out will begin at 10:00 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, June 28, 2009. All campers must be checked-out by Noon.

Do you allow commuter campers?

We do not allow commuter campers for the overnight Film Camp for Girls. The overnight camp is designed for girls to have an enriching arts experience in a college campus setting. As such, we believe that campers need to stay on-campus.

Does the Film Camp for Girls provide transportation from the airport?

No. Due to institutional liabilities, we cannot provide transportation to and from the airport or bus station for minors. It is about a twenty-minute cab ride from the airport to check-in at the University of Texas campus.

FILM ACTING FAQ

Where will campers be staying?

Campers will be staying in a private dorm near the University of Texas campus. Roommates will be randomly assigned based on age groups. If you have a roommate preference (i.e., you already know another camper and you both were accepted), both campers have the opportunity to indicate this preference when they are accepted. We will try to accommodate every request. More information about the dorm will be provided once you are accepted into camp.

What meals are included? Do I need any spending money?

There will be three meals a day included in the cost of tuition. We will also provide snacks each day - as well as special treats! Campers may want to bring a nominal amount of spending money for shopping near the University of Texas campus.

When does the camp start and end?

Check-in will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday June 17, 2009. All campers must be checked in by 10:00 a.m. Check-out for overnight campers will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, 2009. All campers must be checked-out by 11:00 a.m.

Do you allow commuter campers?

YES! We are allowing commuter campers for the Film Acting for Girls camp. All commuters will arrive by 9:30 a.m. each day and depart by 5:30 p.m. Lunch will be included in the cost of tuition.

How early can we arrive if we are commuting? How late can we stay?

Commuter campers can begin arriving no earlier than 9:00 a.m., and can depart no later than 5:30 p.m.

Does the Acting Retreat for Girls provide transportation from the airport?

No. Due to institutional liabilities, we cannot provide transportation to and from the airport or bus station for minors. It is about a twenty-minute cab ride from the airport to the check-in location at the University of Texas campus.

Femme Film Texas --- P.O. Box 301985 --- Austin, Texas 78703 --- 512.628.3413
Site by: Austin Web Site Design