UFVF/KODAK Student Filmmaking and Cinematography Grants

Overview

The UFVF/KODAK Student Filmmaking and Cinematography Grants are administered jointly by Eastman Kodak Company and the University Film and Video Foundation (UFVF), the 501(c)(3) arm of the University Film and Video Association (UFVA). The program has run annually for over 30 years, providing cash tuition scholarships and Kodak motion picture product grants to film students at accredited institutions worldwide.

The program is a school-nominated competition, not an open application. Accredited film schools, departments, and programs around the world may nominate up to two students for the Student Scholarship Awards and one cinematography student for the Cinematography Scholarship Awards. Nominated students must be registered through the fall term of the application year.

There is no entry fee. Submissions are made through FilmFreeway. Winners are announced at the annual UFVA Conference, typically held in late July or August.

The program operates alongside Kodak's broader educational initiatives, which include partnerships with film schools, technical workshops, and the Kodak Student Filmmaker Award presented at the Camerimage cinematography festival in Poland.

What It Covers

The program awards grants in two categories: Student Scholarship Awards (for overall filmmaking) and Student Cinematography Scholarship Awards (for cinematography specifically).

Student Scholarship Awards

Student Cinematography Scholarship Awards

The total value across all awards exceeds $26,000 in cash scholarships and Kodak motion picture product grants combined.

The Kodak Motion Picture Product Grant is provided in the form of Kodak film stock (16mm or 35mm), not cash. Students receive a credit or product allocation that can be used to purchase Kodak motion picture film for their projects.

Eligibility

Eligibility is determined at both the institution and student level:

Institution requirements: The nominating school must be an accredited film school, department, or program at a university or college. Each accredited school may nominate:

• Up to 2 students for the Student Scholarship Awards
• 1 cinematography student for the Student Cinematography Scholarship Awards

The cinematography student nominee may also be nominated for the Student Scholarship Award, meaning a school could nominate the same student in both categories.

Student requirements:

• Must be enrolled at the nominating accredited institution
• Must be registered through the fall term of the application year
• Open to undergraduate and graduate students
• Open to students at accredited institutions worldwide, not limited to US schools

Film requirement for Vision Awards: To qualify for the KODAK Vision Award or Vision Honorable Mention, the submitted project must be shot on at least 50% motion picture film. The standard Student Scholarship Awards and the First Place Cinematography Award do not require any film capture. Entries may originate in any format for the non-Vision categories.

How to Apply

Students cannot apply directly. The application process works as follows:

1. School nomination: The student's film school or department must nominate them. Students interested in being nominated should speak with their faculty advisors or department chairs early in the academic year.
2. FilmFreeway submission: Nominating schools submit their institution's entries through FilmFreeway. Submissions must include online links (Vimeo or YouTube) to the student's work.
3. Deadline: June 1, 11:59 PM Eastern Time. There is no late deadline.
4. Evaluation criteria: Entries are assessed on three criteria: sample reels, faculty recommendations, and academic achievement. For the Cinematography Scholarship Awards, entries are evaluated on the quality of cinematography skills.
5. Winners announcement: Winners are announced at the annual UFVA Conference, typically in late July or August. Winning films screen as part of the conference program.

There is no entry fee for the school or the student.

What the Funding Actually Covers

The cash tuition scholarships are paid directly toward the student's tuition at their educational institution. The amounts are significant relative to typical student film budgets but modest relative to full tuition costs at major film schools:

The Kodak Motion Picture Product Grant is often more practically valuable to student filmmakers than the cash award, depending on their project needs. A $5,000 Kodak product grant can cover a substantial amount of 16mm or 35mm film stock for a thesis film. For students planning to shoot on film, this product grant can make the difference between a film-originated project and a digital substitute.

Who Should Apply

The program targets two types of students:

Student Scholarship Awards (Gold, Silver, Bronze): Film students who demonstrate exemplary skills and creativity in the art of motion pictures. Evaluation is based on sample reels, faculty recommendations, and academic achievement. The award recognizes overall filmmaking ability, not specifically cinematography. Directors, producers, editors, and screenwriters whose work demonstrates strong creative and technical ability are eligible.

Student Cinematography Scholarship Awards (First Place, Vision, Vision Honorable Mention): Cinematography students whose work demonstrates excellence in visual storytelling. The Vision Award and Vision Honorable Mention specifically require that at least 50% of the submitted project was shot on motion picture film, making them targeted at students who are actively working with photochemical capture.

Students who want to be considered should:

• Talk to their film school faculty about nomination during the spring semester
• Prepare a strong sample reel with their best work
• Ensure their Vimeo or YouTube links are active and correct
• If aiming for the Vision Award, ensure at least 50% of their submission was shot on film

Program History

The UFVF/KODAK Student Scholarship Program has run annually since 1991, making it one of the longest-running student film scholarship programs in the United States. The program is part of Kodak's broader commitment to supporting film education and the continuation of photochemical filmmaking.

Kodak remains the primary manufacturer of motion picture film stock worldwide. Despite the dominance of digital capture in contemporary production, film is still used by many established directors and cinematographers. Kodak's student programs ensure that emerging filmmakers have hands-on experience with film capture during their education.

The program is also connected to the Kodak Student Filmmaker Award presented at the Camerimage cinematography festival in Torun, Poland, one of the most recognized cinematography-focused film festivals in the world.

Notable past winners include Saim Sadiq from Columbia University (Gold Award, 2018), who went on to direct Joyland (2022), Pakistan's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Other past winners have come from institutions including NYU Tisch, Northwestern University, San Diego State University, and Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica in Mexico City.

Common Confusions

Students cannot apply directly. The UFVF/KODAK program is a school-nominated competition. Students must be nominated by their accredited film school or department. Students who want to be considered should approach their faculty advisors or department chairs, not Kodak or UFVF directly.

The Vision Award requires film capture, but the other awards do not. Only the KODAK Vision Award and Vision Honorable Mention require that at least 50% of the submitted project be shot on motion picture film. The Gold, Silver, Bronze, and First Place Cinematography awards accept entries in any format, including digital.

The Kodak product grant is not cash. The motion picture product grant is provided as Kodak film stock or a product credit, not as a cash payment. Students who do not plan to shoot on film may find the product grant less useful than the cash tuition scholarship portion.

The deadline is firm. There is no late deadline. Submissions must be complete by June 1, 11:59 PM Eastern Time, including correct and verified Vimeo or YouTube links.

Past Recipients

The UFVF/KODAK program has run since 1991, making it one of the longest-running student film scholarships in the US. The clearest career outcome from the program:

• Saim Sadiq (Gold Award, 2018, Columbia University) - Won the Kodak Gold Award as a student, then wrote and directed Joyland (2022). Joyland premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes (winning the Jury Prize and the Queer Palm), was Pakistan's official submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, and was distributed in the US by Oscilloscope Laboratories. His student work recognized by Kodak directly preceded a feature debut with global festival and Oscar-submission reach.

Other past winners have come from institutions including NYU Tisch, Northwestern University, San Diego State University, Centro de Capacitacion Cinematografica (Mexico City), AFI Conservatory, and Chapman University. The program does not publish a single consolidated public winner list by year, but winners are announced annually at the UFVA Conference and recognized in Kodak and UFVA communications. The Kodak Student Filmmaker Award is also presented separately at the Camerimage cinematography festival in Torun, Poland, which has its own recipient list.

What Made Winning Applications Stand Out

Entries are assessed on three published criteria: sample reels, faculty recommendations, and academic achievement. For the Cinematography Scholarship Awards, entries are evaluated on the quality of cinematography skills. What tends to advance:

• A sample reel that demonstrates visual intent, not just coverage. Winning reels show a cinematographer or filmmaker making deliberate choices about light, composition, and movement, not simply capturing clean images. A reel with a consistent visual sensibility outperforms a reel of disconnected pretty shots.
• For the Vision Award, evidence of film capture. The KODAK Vision Award and Vision Honorable Mention require at least 50% of the submitted project to be shot on motion picture film. Applicants who can show they chose film for an aesthetic reason, and executed it well, are competitive for those specific awards.
• Strong faculty recommendation. Because the program is school-nominated, the faculty recommendation carries real weight. A recommendation that specifically describes the student's craft and creative judgment is more useful than a generic letter.
• Academic achievement as a tiebreaker. Academic record is the third criterion, so strong grades help separate otherwise comparable candidates but rarely override weak sample work.

Renewal Requirements

The UFVF/KODAK grants are one-time, non-renewable awards. There is no renewal process. The cash tuition scholarship is paid once toward the student's tuition at their institution, and the Kodak motion picture product grant is issued once as a film stock credit or product allocation. A student who wins in one year is not eligible to win the same award again, and schools may only nominate up to two students for the Student Scholarship Awards and one cinematography student per year, so repeat nominations of the same student are not the program's design.

The Kodak product grant has a practical use window: it must be used to acquire Kodak motion picture film (16mm or 35mm) for a project. Students who do not plan to shoot on film should target the cash tuition portion, as the product grant cannot be converted to cash.

See Also

For understanding the differences between film and digital capture, see Cinematography Essentials. To calculate exposure and depth of field for film formats, use the Depth of Field Calculator. For other student funding opportunities, browse the full Film Scholarships Directory.