Washington, DC - On March 20, 2015 President Obama will host the second-annual White House Student Film Festival. This year’s competition was an opportunity for K-12 students to produce short films on the idea of service and helping your community.

Building off the success of the first-ever White House Student Film Festival last year, the second annual White House Student Film Festival was announced in December of 2014. Last year’s event was a celebration of technology in education, and this year the film festival event will showcase 15 students’ visions on the theme, “The Impact of Giving Back.”  The film festival will highlight the promise of mentorship in the arts and be a call for the entertainment industry to build upon their mentoring programs and engagement nationwide.

In keeping with the President’s vision of giving every child the chance to reach their full potential, in the East Room of the White House, President Obama will discuss the ongoing progress towards the goals of his My Brother’s Keeper initiative which aims to close opportunity gaps still faced by too many young people, often boys and young men of color in particular.

This year, fifteen student videos from around the country were chosen as “Official Selections” and will be screened at the White House. Selections were made in collaboration with the American Film Institute. The student filmmakers selected, and their guests, will attend the screening and a reception in their honor afterwards, made possible by the American Film Institute and Participant Media. The audience will be comprised of students, parents, teachers, Hollywood leaders, and education advocates.

This year’s Student Film Festival, in collaboration with the American Film Institute and Participant Media, will feature a second day of programming at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. At the Newseum student filmmakers will be treated to a day of educational workshops around best practices in the film industry and tips from professional filmmakers and actors.

The event in the East Room will be open press and streamed live on www.whitehouse.gov/live . For more information about the film festival visit www.whitehouse.gov/filmfest .