DIYDS!! 17th National Youth Film Festival

“Do It Your Damn Self!!” (DIYDS!!) is the longest-running youth-curated film festival in the country. Founded in 1996 by five Cambridge teens who felt unrecognizable in the media, the festival weekend is a forum for youth to share their interest in using video technology to communicate issues that are relevant to them. The film festival is an opportunity for audiences to hear the unique and vital voices of youth from New England, the nation and the world.
“Do It Your Damn Self!!” (DIYDS!!) National Youth Film Festival is a product of the Community Art Center’s Teen Media Program. The Teen Media Program, founded in 1970, has encouraged generations of teens to share their stories. With photography, video and filmmaking as a tool of expression, they have incited positive change in their lives and the world around them. Their experience with media technology and professional production skills have empowered them to move forward with self-assurance and dignity. DIYDS!! is the longest running youth-produced festival in the country, drawing over 800 youth and adults to public screenings every year. The Community Art Center’s Teen Media Program youth understood that, “if you want something done, you gotta do it your damn self.” This audacious motto became the mission of the festival where youth producers from all over the world are given a venue to be heard and appreciated by a wide audience.