Student Showcase of Films

🎬 The 2026 WIFT-FL Video/Film/Theatre Summer Camp Scholarship Program is giving Florida students entering grades 4–12 an opportunity to explore filmmaking, storytelling, editing, acting and more through camps. 📅 Applications open: May 15 Apply: bit.ly/3X3kEmO.

🎬✏️ On this Teacher Appreciation Day, gratitude goes out to the educators shaping the next generation of storytellers. From guiding students through storyboarding to fine-tuning final cuts, film and television teachers turn classrooms into real production environments.

✨ Entertainment legend Vanilla Ice, Wildlife Nation's Jeff Corwin, R.J. Decker's Melodie Rose Romano and The Neighborhood's Hank Greenspan brought energy and excitement to The Palm Beaches while celebrating rising talent.

🎥 Palm Beach County's leaders stepped onto the red carpet! We welcomed Palm Beach County Mayor Sara Baxter, Commissioners Bobby Powell and Gregg Weiss, Film Commissioner Michelle Hillery, Vanilla Ice and TV host Jeff Corwin!

☀️ Your 2026 Palm Beaches Student Showcase of Films WINNERS! 🌴

🔊 👓 Daniela Buenrostro from SouthTech Academy earns the Poster Design award and $1,000! This year’s winning design becomes the gateway to next year’s showcase, setting the stage for 2027’s theme: Sound & Vision, a celebration of how what we hear and what we see create emotion.

🔎 Nico Wilcox Cano from Florida State University earns 1st Place and $2,000 for “Little Dark Rooms”! Forensic FBI artist Joseph Vernet gets pulled back into a workaholic obsession when an enticing missing children’s case arrives at his door. @FloridaState

🔮 Rodrigo Perez from Ringling College of Art and Design takes 2nd Place and $1,500 for “Contigo”! CONTIGO follows a young woman who returns to the site of a secret experiment in Venezuela to uncover the truth about what happened to her, only to confront the man behind it all.

💟 🎸 Caleb Cook from Florida State University earns 3rd Place and $1,000 for “Lovesick Fallout”! After an explosive breakup with his first boyfriend, 19-year-old aspiring rockstar Luke attempts a fresh start in the ashes of his old life. @FloridaState

Hank Greenspan, rising star appearing on CBS’s "The Neighborhood" and feature film "Ethan Bloom", presents the College Feature/Short awards to...⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ #ThePalmBeaches #SSOF2026 #StudentFilms #FilmCompetition

📦 Zachary Newman from NSU University School earns 1st Place in the High School Feature Short category and $2,000 for “What’s Really Inside”! Having a birthday on April 1st leaves Jordan wary of any gifts, setting the stage for a story filled with surprise and discovery.

📝 Ethan Malka from Alexander Dreyfoos School of the Arts earns 2nd Place in the High School Feature Short category and $1,500 for “The Experiment”! The film follows a student whose decision to step out of class takes a dramatic turn when technology fails in an unexpected way.

⚓ Sophie Drost from Lakeland Christian School earns 3rd Place in the High School Feature Short category and $1,000 for “Water’s Memory”! The film explores memory, loss and the echoes of a past that refuses to stay buried.

Melodie Rose Romano, Palm Beach County native and rising star actress appearing on ABC’s R.J. Decker, presents the High School Feature/Short awards to...

👨‍🏫 His students say he builds unity, teamwork and confidence in every class. Shaun Olavarria from Deland High School, fondly known as Mr. O, earns the 2026 Teacher of the Year award and $1,000 for unwavering support, passion and empowering mentorship!

🎬 🤠 Lyla Claggett, from @gstarschoolarts, takes home the Burt Reynolds Scholarship and $5,000 for her stellar high school career! The scholarship honors Burt Reynolds, the actor-director celebrated for his film career and commitment to supporting young talent.

🎬 Lilian Amiryan from Seminole Ridge High School secures the Dr. B. Carleton Bryant Scholarship and $1,000 for her stellar high school career! The award honors Dr. B. Carleton Bryant, a dedicated educator and community leader who championed Palm Beach County schools. @SRHSHawks

🎬 Izzy Huntley from @gstarschoolarts claims this year's Film Florida Sara Fuller Scholarship and $1,000 for her stellar high school career! The award honors Sara Fuller, a trailblazer in Florida’s film production community and advocate for emerging talent.

🎬 Taylor Simms from Seminole Ridge HS captures the Gray Family Scholarship and $1,000! The scholarship honors her stellar high school career, with support from the Gray family, founders and operators of the indie-art houses Movies of Delray and Movies of Lake Worth. @SRHSHawks

🎬 Tamsin Lee from Seminole Ridge High School grabs the Mel Maron Scholarship and $1,000 for her stellar high school career! The award honors Mel Maron, renowned film distributor who brought films like Dr. Zhivago, Godzilla, and 2001: A Space Odyssey to American screens.