CAMP Film Festival Redefines Cinema for the Creator Generation This April in Austin
- Horror Movies Uncut
- Apr 16
- 6 min read
CAMP Film Festival is Redefining the Future of Cinema—One Creator at a Time
Powered by Patreon, the Austin-based fest brings digital-native storytelling to the big screen. April 26–27, 2025
Let’s make this clear: CAMP Film Festival isn’t just another event on the festival circuit—it’s a cultural shift.
Launching April 26–27, 2025, at Austin’s iconic Paramount Theatre, CAMP Film Festival Powered by Patreon is the first major fest built for the creators who live and breathe storytelling online. These are the artists who rack up millions of views with short films, TikToks, YouTube vlogs, animations, and visual experiments—and now, they’re bringing that energy to the theater.
Think of it as Sundance for the chronically online. But don’t get it twisted—this isn’t “internet-lite” cinema. CAMP’s programming is rich, emotional, genre-fluid, and wildly inventive. From experimental narrative shorts to lo-fi sci-fi and introspective genre blends, these are films that don’t need permission to move the room.
Co-founders Chris Duncan, Max Reisinger, and Simon Kim said it best:
“We started CAMP because we saw an incredible wave of storytellers and artists emerging on the internet… and there were no spaces to convene and celebrate their work.”
Now they’ve created the space. And the response? Massive.
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🎥 This Year’s Lineup Includes:
🎬 Feature Film Premiere
• Two Sleepy People – Two coworkers mysteriously wake up married each night. By morning, they’re strangers again.
🎞️ Short Films Include:
• Ashes to Ashes (Monique Jones): A box, a breakdown, a psychedelic journey through grief.
• They Were Art Thieves (Phillip Linnik): Soul vs. survival in an Ivy League crime drama.
• Natural Twenty (Aidan Gallagher & Sam Conine): D&D nerds go on a real-life fantasy quest.
• Return to Sender (Nicholas Adams): Solar storms. Couriers. Post-apocalyptic romance.
• Passing Through (Nneka Julia): Love, loss, and choosing yourself.
And seven more shorts—each one shaped by creators whose careers are built on direct audience connection.
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🎤 Workshops That Actually Speak to This Generation:
• Bridging Generations with Roger & Gala Avary
• Hollywood Watches YouTube Too with Kane Pixels, Wesley Wang, Zurkie
• Filmmaking Is a Marathon with Eric Floberg & Jake Frew
• YesTheory: A New Path with Thomas Brag, Ammar Kandil, Kate Ward
Add in musical performances, a 1-day film challenge, SNL-style filmmaker panels, and creative play sessions like stop-motion storytelling and comic strip jams—and you’ve got a fest that’s alive with ideas.
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🧠 What Makes CAMP Different?
Instead of chasing validation from the top down, CAMP builds it from the ground up. Following the in-person premieres, films will also be released exclusively through Patreon—where creators can host watch parties, Q&As, and direct fan engagement before wider distribution. It’s a new blueprint for storytelling—and survival—for the digital-first filmmaker.
This isn’t film as brand. It’s film as connection.
Film as DIY truth.
Film as Gen Z communion.
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🎟️ Tickets available now at CampFilmFestival.com
April 26–27, 2025 | Paramount Theatre, Austin TX
Whether you’re a fan, filmmaker, or just exhausted by the industry’s obsession with IP, CAMP Film Festival is the movement you didn’t know you were waiting for.
CAMP FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING
Film Premieres
Feature
TWO SLEEPY PEOPLE
Directed by: Baron Ryan
Director of Photography: Ethan Tran
Logline: Every night, two distant coworkers find themselves married, but every morning, they are strangers.
Shorts
ASHES TO ASHES
Directed by: Monique Jones
Logline: When a cryptic box appears on her doorstep, a young woman grappling with depression is plunged into a vivid, mind bending journey that forces her to confront her past and rediscover her connection to life.
HOW LONG UNTIL NOW?
Directed by: Sonya Akulshina
Logline: A young woman drifts between reality and imagination as her daily routines blur with surreal visions. When her mind grows overwhelmingly restless, she must confront her urge to escape and learn to stay present in her life.
MAKE NO CHANGE
Directed by: Zach Schy & Jonah Warmoth
Logline: In pursuit of a perfect existence, a reclusive genius escapes into a simulated utopia of his own design, but when the program malfunctions, he must accept the painful truths he tried to erase or surrender his physical body forever.
NATURAL TWENTY
Directed by: Aidan Gallagher & Sam Conine
Logline: When a stolen game piece threatens their long-running campaign, a group of D&D enthusiasts embarks on a real-world quest to retrieve it, reclaim lost love, and prove they’re more than just losers.
PASSING THROUGH
Directed by: Nneka Julia
Logline: A romantic getaway turns into an emotional reckoning when a young photographer realizes she’s been shrinking to keep her relationship afloat. A chance encounter leaves her with an aching choice between the comfort of what is and the pull of what could be.
RETURN TO SENDER
Directed by: Nicholas Adams
Logline: On a mission to retrieve a package from the abandoned surface of Earth, two couriers find unexpected refuge in each other when a solar storm traps them in pre-apocalyptic Texas.
THEY WERE ART THIEVES
Directed by: Phillip Linnik
Logline: In a 1980s Ivy League town, a blue-collar brother chases his art school dream while the other brother hatches a risky plan to fund it. But when faced with the moral consequences, they must reconcile their differences on soul vs. survival, and realize the true purpose of art.
VIS-À-VIS
Directed by: Mamadou Yattassaye
Logline: When a first-generation Malian son gets trapped in an elevator with his immigrant father, the weight of displacement, manhood, and generational disparities forces the confrontation of their West African identity in America.
ZULIAN PRETZEL
Directed by: Harold Boborquez
Logline: When a policeman catches two homeless brothers running an illegal food stand, he recruits them to his wife’s failing restaurant—forcing the couple to confront a hidden pregnancy, a fractured marriage, and the true meaning of family.
Workshops
Bridging Generations: Independent Filmmaking Across Eras
Participants: 2 (Roger Avary, Gala Avary)
Description: Father-daughter duo Roger and Gala Avary explore how filmmaking has evolved across analog and digital eras. With lessons, creative tension, and collaboration stories, this session bridges two filmmaking worlds.
Building Little Worlds
Participants: 1 (Marina Totino)
Description: Using a live miniature motel diorama, Marina and participants construct a story in real time by adding objects, adjusting lighting, and reacting to sound. Collaborative, playful, and cinematic.
Capture a Story in 5 Frames
Participants: 1 (Jeffrey Sun)
Description: This photography workshop encourages visual storytelling through play. Participants use toys to create a 5-frame narrative with just their phones, followed by a gallery-style showcase and personal reflections.
CAMP Film Fest Kickoff
Participants: (5) Creator Camp Team + Jack Conte
Description: Creator Camp is kicking off the festival, and you won’t want to miss it! We’ll kick things off with a warm welcome, then Jack Conte, CEO of Patreon, will share an inspiring message to get everyone excited. Join us and get ready to jump into an unforgettable experience!
Director on Director: Natalie Lynn and Gawx
Participants: 3 (Natalie Lynn, Gawx, Jack Conte TBD)
Description: This 3-part session includes breakdowns of each other’s favorite clips, a casual conversation about craft and platform, and a Q&A. Natalie and Gawx explore storytelling through their unique internet-native lens.
Filmmaking is a Marathon
Participants: 2 (Eric Floberg, Jake Frew)
Description: This engaging session explores the stamina behind a creative career. With honest reflections, critiques, and personal metaphors—like comparing creativity to marathon training—Eric and Jake unpack the discipline and mindset needed for sustainable storytelling.
From Sketch to Story: Comic Strip Workshop
Participants: 3 (Tiffany Tan, Linh Truong, Max Kolo)
Description: Team up in small groups to play The Comic Strip Game, where captions and illustrations build wild, collaborative stories. Wrap up with a group share and insight on intuitive storytelling and co-creation.
Hollywood Watches YouTube Too
Participants: 3 (Kane Pixels, Wesley Wang, Zurkie)
Description: In this Director-on-Director session, Kane and Wesley break down each other’s clips, dive into their creative processes, and discuss the future of internet storytelling, studio crossovers, and digital-native filmmaking. Followed by Q&A.
How to Tell a Story About Any - Thing
Participants: 2 (Joel Roache, Paolo Abeabe)
Description: Joel and Paolo teach how random objects can inspire meaningful stories. Attendees pick an item and share a quick story with their group, demonstrating that inspiration is everywhere.
Intro To Day 2
Participants: Creator Camp Team + James Harwan (MC)
Description: The Creator Camp team’s MC will kick off the second day with a few words, followed by Zurkie introducing the next set of films.
The Lost and Found
Participants: 2 (Ben Treat, Caleb Shaw)
Description: Unlock your creative vibe in this stop motion animation workshop. Pick a quirky object from the “Lost and Found” box and animate a short story. Ben and Caleb will guide storytelling basics and animation fundamentals in a fun, collaborative space.
One-Day Film Challenge
Participants: 1x Epidemic Sound rep, 1x Creator Camp rep
Description: A Creator Camp tradition: 60-100 attendees form teams to make a 90-second film in a few hours as part of Epidemic Sound film challenge. Films will be screened that evening. This session kicks off the challenge with guidelines, parameters, creative encouragement, and announces the prizes.
Sit Down With The Filmmakers
Participants: 11w (James Harwan + All 10 filmmakers)
Description: A late-night talk show–style event hosted by James Harwan. Expect highlights, inside stories, and reflection from all 12 filmmakers in the cohort in an SNL-style format.
YesTheory: Building A New Path For Independent Creatives
Participants: 3 (Thomas Brag, Ammar Kandil, Kate Ward)
Description: YesTheory’s founders reflect on their journey from YouTube to global film success. From turning down deals to self-distributing Project Iceman, they share a blueprint for creative freedom and conscious storytelling.
Musical Performances
Austin Geller
Clint Mickelson
Juan Dussan
Marianne B
MandelBro
Owen Whitworth
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