Film Fest
_Girls in STEM______
Girls in STEM Film Festival
September 19-21, 2025
Lights, Camera, Action! Join the exciting collaboration between Keystone Science School and Breckenridge Film Festival for Girls in STEM: Film Fest, an empowering weekend tailored for theatrical 4th-8th grade female and non-binary students!
From captivating storytelling to the magic of cinematography and film editing, participants will hone their skills in every aspect of the filmmaking process. They will hear from inspirational women in all aspects of the film industry, sharing their triumphs and challenges in breaking barriers in a male-dominated field. Empower your child to script their own success story in STEM while unleashing their inner Greta Gerwig at the Girls in STEM: Film Festival!
The students will create their own short film, and at the close of the program, girls will present their short films during a scheduled event included within the Breckenridge Film Festival schedule. All families will receive free entry to the final presentation.
Rates & Amenities
This program is subsidized on a sliding fee scale for local families – see the chart below. This price includes lodging in our dorms, all meals, programming and use of supplies and technology.
| Free & Reduced Lunch rate | $60 |
| CHP+ (Child Health Plan Plus) rate | $190 |
| Fully Pay rate | $350 |
Scholarships & Financial Assistance
If you have a financial barrier, please apply for a scholarship for the Girls in STEM program. All scholarships will be determined on a rolling basis and offered based on financial need.
Transportation
We offer free transportation to local students at Dillon Valley Elementary and Silverthorne Elementary!
- KSS pickup students from school on Friday afternoon at 4:00pm from Silverthorne Elementary and Dillon Valley Elementary.
- Family Pickup in Breckenridge at the Film Fest on Sunday or drop-off back at Silverthorne Elementary & Dillon Valley Elementary
Packing List
Program Schedule
Please note that this program schedule may change based on the availability of our STEM Mentors.
KSS will be providing meals from dinner on Friday night to lunch on Sunday afternoon.
Friday
Sept. 19
| 4:00pm | Check-in begins |
| 4:00pm | Local Pick-ups |
| 5:00pm | Check-in ends |
| 5:30pm | Female Empowerment Conversation |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Film 101 |
| 8:30pm | Head back to dorms |
| 9:30pm | Lights Out |
Saturday
Sept. 20
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:15am | Filming at KSS |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 12:30pm | Editing 101 |
| 2:00pm | Mentor Q&A Session |
| 3:00pm | Editing |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Mini Film Fest |
| 8:30pm | Head back to dorms |
| 9:30pm | Lights Out |
Sunday
Sept. 21
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:15am | Movie Poster Project Work Time |
| 11:00am | Female Empowerment Activity |
| 12:00pm | Lunch |
| 1:00pm | Red Carpet at River Walk Center |
| 1:30pm | Film Screening |
| 2:30pm | Departure/Pick Up at Breck Film Fest |
| 3:00pm | Local drop-offs |
STEM Mentors
A variety of female professionals will be interacting with all participating girls throughout the weekend. Read more below about Maggie Hartmans, Kayla Arend, Cara Yeates, Ginger Perez and Carrie Wachob.
Maggie Hartmans
Award-winning filmmaker
Maggie Hartmans is an award-winning filmmaker dedicated to using cinematic storytelling to shift culture and change the world. With a background in indie filmmaking, she co-founded Farsighted Creative with Brittany Zampella in 2020, focusing on impactful narratives that inspire hope and empower female filmmakers. Her notable projects include the feature documentary “A Good Neighbor,” which highlights activist Lucy Molina’s fight for cleaner air. Maggie’s credits also include “Impressions” (2014), “DMV for Vendetta” (2009), and “Ghost Story: A Modern Fairy Tale” (2020), and most recently, “147” (2024). As a teacher at the Colorado Film School, she shares her passion for storytelling with aspiring filmmakers, continuing to explore film’s potential to spark meaningful conversations.
Kayla Arend
Award-winning film writer-director
Kayla Arend is an award-winning film writer-director. Her films are noted for their surreal, quiet and suspenseful elements accompanied with strong leading female characters and unique wilderness settings. Echoing the cinematic textures of David Lynch, Lynne Ramsay and Darren Aronofsky; it is clear why her work demands attention.
Kayla Arend studied film, photography and entomology at Montana State University before earning her Master’s degree in writing-directing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Her graduate thesis film, “Leaving Yellowstone”, was executive produced by Spike Lee and won several awards for Best Director, Best Actor and Best Cinematography.
Kayla is an adjunct professor at NYU’s Graduate Film Program, she is also developing her first feature film. To learn more about her and her work please visit: www.kaylaarend.com or follow her on instagram: @film.by.kayla
Cara Yeates
Award-winning filmmaker
Cara Yeates is a Canadian filmmaker living in New York, where she runs the boutique production company Trigger Creative. Her short film “Gone Before Your Eyes” has played at twenty film festivals and has won four awards, including “Best Director of a Short Film” and “Best of Fest.”
Cara started her career in the theater, creating and touring award-winning solo shows across North America. She is currently working on two documentary projects, “Echoes of Foreign Films” and “Mothers of the Missing,” and her first feature film script.
When not working, Cara likes to swim, take photographs with her film camera, and hang out with her cats.
Carrie Wachob
Screenwriter & Documentary filmmaker
Carrie Wachob is an optioned screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, and Seattle Children’s Hospital medical videographer. She has a Journalism degree and a knack for telling stories that are part comedy, part heartbreak, and entirely unusual. Her latest project, “The Collector,” dives into the world of Wizard of Oz superfan Willard Carroll and the power of imagination. Based in Seattle and L.A., Carrie goes wherever the stories take her. In her spare time she enjoys watching UFO documentaries with her dog Baby Billy.
Ginger Perez
Founder of Four Point Pictures & Cinematographer
Ginger Michelle Perez is founder of Four Point Pictures and a cinematographer for Emmy nominated TV show American Dream TV. She graduated from the Santa Monica Film Program in 2016 and has since specialized in video editing, content creation, documentary filmmaking, and photography all over the world. Ginger’s production company is excited to announce that they are in the planning phase of producing their first feature film which takes place in a Colorado Ski town. When she’s not creating new film projects, she likes to race sailboats, ski, and play the guitar.
Thank you to our 2024 Program Donors
Special thanks to Breckenridge Film Festival and HP for being partners for this program!
If you are interested in supporting this program please contact our Development team at development@keystonescienceschool.org or call 970-468-2098.
In the words of parents
“No phones. Dedicated time to focus on self. Reminders about gratitude. Getting in touch with nature. The counselors are strong, sweet, great role models.”
“My kid looks forward to this every year! It is so important for her to get out of her usual routine and meet new people and get a chance to be on her own.”
“We love KSS. The growth our kids have each summer is priceless. Thank you for all the hard work, planning and everything that goes into what you do!”
Check out more All-Girls programs at KSS!
Adventures is the next step in progression at KSS, and we have girls-only trips coming up next summer!
We also have more Girls in STEM programs coming up, including Water Wonders this October!
All-Girls Climbing
Grades 6th-8th
Girls in STEM Snow Science
January 24-26, 2025