STUDENT SHOWCASE OF FILMS AWARDS FLORIDA’S TOP YOUNG

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STUDENT SHOWCASE OF FILMS AWARDS FLORIDA’S TOP YOUNG
FILMMAKERS WITH $10,000 AND MOVIE PREMIERE
Red Carpet Arrival with Celebrity Guests, Burt Reynolds and Bruce Campbell
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (March 20, 2013) — More than 700 students and film
enthusiasts gathered Friday, March 15 to honor the winners of the 2013 Student Showcase of
Films (SSOF) with more than $10,000 and their own Oscar-worthy awards show featuring
finalists and celebrities on the red carpet. The 18th annual event was produced by the Palm Beach
County Film & Television Commission (PBCFTC) and awarded high school and college
students with cash and scholarships to further their careers in the industry. As part of the Palm
Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF), winning films will be screened in their entirety
during a premiere in April 2013.
“It’s exciting to see so many enthusiastic young filmmakers travel from around the state
to join our county’s own brilliant students at the Student Showcase of Films awards,” said
Michelle Hillery, the PBCFTC’s director of operations and programs and SSOF executive
producer. “They continue to surprise us with their level of talent each year and we’re delighted to
reward them for their achievements and encourage even more by connecting them with top film
professionals.”
Top student filmmakers were recognized in several film categories, a poster competition
and two scholarships. The 2013 winners are:
1st Place College Feature/Short: $1,200
Frank Gould and Jeremy Hicks, Valencia College; Moments Like These
2nd Place College Feature/Short: $1,000
James Feeney, Florida State University; Killer Kart
3rd Place College Feature/Short: $500
Jason Whitmore, Florida State University; At The End
1st Place High School Feature/Shorts: $1,000
Jose Ordonez, Calvary Christian Academy; Masquerade
2nd Place High School Feature/Shorts: $800
Andrew Davis, Calvary Christian Academy; Dependence
3rd Place High School Feature/Shorts: $400
Daniela Arguello, Cypress Bay High School; The List
1st Place Audience Award: $500
Trevor Viner, Calvary Christian Academy; A Father’s Heart
1st Place Documentary: $500
Lance Oppenheim, Pine Crest School; The Dogmatic
1st Place Commercial/PSA: $300
David Freund, Seminole Ridge High School; Above the Influence
1st Place Music Video: $300
Matthew Del Bene, University of Central Florida; Alex Cole’s Music Video
2013 1st Place Animation: $500
Alyse Miller and Phillip Simon, Ringling College of Art and Design; The Colors of Evil
2012 1st Place Animation: $300
Ellyn Snider and Zoe Hammond, Spanish River Community High School; Story Time
1st Place Poster Award: $500
Marvin Cooper, South Tech Academy
Burt Reynolds Scholarship Winner: $2,500
Zachary Lambe of G-Star School of the Arts
Sara Fuller Student Scholarship Winner: $500
Evan DeCarmine from G-Star School of the Arts
Prior to the awards show, competition finalists and industry VIPs walked the red carpet
as they entered the Keith C. & Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University.
Hollywood legend and Palm Beach County native Burt Reynolds and “Burn Notice’s” Bruce
Campbell, also of the cult classic films Evil Dead and Army of Darkness, were among the day’s
presenters who greeted students.
Before awarding the students, the ceremony opened with a retro-themed video, song and
“movie line” performance by the event’s hilarious host and local actor and comedian, Frank
Licari; directed by the show’s V. Alex Marquez, a local filmmaker and 10-year veteran of
SSOF. The opening act was an ode to movies of an earlier era and also included actress, awardwinning filmmaker and PBCFTC board member, Suzanne Niedland; and local actor and
musician David Weinstein – in addition to a surprise cameo by Burt Reynolds!
Other presenters and industry professionals who participated in the show included Lynn
University President Dr. Kevin M. Ross; PBCFTC Film Commissioner Chuck Elderd; Dean
Lyon, who worked on visual effects for films such as Avatar, Armageddon and the Lord of the
Rings triology; KVJ Show Host Virginia Sinicki from WiLD 95.5 FM; The Palm Beach Post’s
Leslie Gray Streeter; PBIFF Chair Yvonne Boice; and producer and actor Jacqueline Renee
Journey, best-known for her role on “Friday Night Lights.”
For more information about the Student Showcase of Films, please visit pbfilm.com or
Facebook.com/StudentShowcaseOfFilms. This program is funded by the PBIFF, the Palm Beach
County Board of County Commissioners, the Palm Beach County Economic Development
Office and the Palm Beach County Film & Television Commission.
About the Palm Beach International Film Festival (April 4-11, 2013)
The PBIFF is a not for profit 501 (c) 3 founded in 1996 with the vision of offering an exciting cultural venue for the
community and to be a tremendous fundraiser for educational film and television programs. The festival hosts more
than 15,000 filmgoers annually, has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Destination Film Festivals in the World
by Moviemaker Magazine. The festival has screened more than 322World Premieres, 177 Student Films and 2,168
films from 65 countries.
The PBIFF has welcomed a bevy of top talent and filmmakers including: Academy Award® Winners Adrien Brody,
Anthony Hopkins, Tommy Lee Jones, Faye Dunaway, Dennis Hopper, Louise Fletcher and Michael Caine;
Academy Award® Nominees Salma Hayek, Edward Norton, Robert Evans, Sylvester Stallone, Woody Harrelson,
Richard Jenkins and Burt Reynolds. Along with countless other legends, stars and filmmakers that have created
movie magic for the past 80 years, including: Roger Moore, Faye Wray, Esther Williams, Anouk Aimee, Samuel L.
Jackson, Cyd Charisse, Richard Zanuck, William Friedkin, Brett Ratner, Jacqueline Bisset, Michael Clarke Duncan
and Rod Steiger.
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