San Francisco Art & Film for Teens

Art&Film

Free cultural programs for teens, including Friday night film screenings, Saturdays art walks and free seats to cultural events. Open to all Bay Area students, middle school through college. Established 1993. 

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Our annual prize for writing on film

Each year San Francisco Art & Film offers the Tarkovsky Prize for the best student essay on a film screened at Cine Club. Cash prizes up to $250 for the 3 highest scoring essays. Submissions for the 2024 Tarkovsky Prize are currently open.


Guidelines for essays on film:

Entries should be submitted as a doc or PDF file to isaiah@artandfilm.org. Any Bay Area high school student can enter and any film shown in Cine Club’s current season is valid as a subject. Entries must be submitted on or before April 9, 2024.

Please do not write a review.  This should be an essay that explores what you think the film is about, using details from the film to illustrate your point. The more personal and specific the writing, the better the essay. Film is a visual medium so you’ll want to pay special attention to the imagery used in the film and some of the images that left an impression on you as it relates to your subject.

You do not need to summarize the entire plot, you can presume the reader is familiar with the film. That said, you need to provide enough context for your ideas to bring the reader with you as you make your case.

For examples of what we are looking for, we suggest you read past winning essays listed below:


PAST WINNERS

The 2023 Winners of the Tarkovsky Essay Prize

The 2021 Winners of the Tarkovsky Essay Prize

The 2020 Winners of the Tarkovsky Essay Prize


The 2019 Winners of the Tarkovsky Essay Prize

The 2018 Winners of the Tarkovsky Essay Prize

The 2017 Winners of the Tarkovsky Essay Prize


The 2016 Winners of the Tarkovsky Essay Prize

The 2012 Winners of the Tarkovsky Essay Prize

The 2011 Winners of the Tarkovsky Essay Prize

The 2001 Winners of the Tarkovsky Essay Prize