Florida's Largest Student

Film Competition  

 Click Here for Online Voting

Members of the public have the chance to become movie critics by voting online for the 2012 Student Showcase of Films "Audience Award."  The Palm Beach County Film & Television Commission has announced the nominees and voting for this portion of the competition now open through midnight on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. The top 11 eligible films, as determined by the judges, are available to the public for viewing by clicking above.

The 17th Annual Student Showcase of Films awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 10am.  The award show will take place at the Keith C. & Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL.

Celebrating 17 years, the Student showcase of Films is the largest statewide film competition and awards ceremony for Florida student filmmakers. The juried competition recognizes outstanding high school and college students by presenting over $10,000 in scholarships and awards in six film categories: Feature/Shorts, Documentary, Animation, Commercial/PSA, Music Video, and Audience Award, in addition to screenwriting and poster competitions. Honoring the legacy of Mr. Burt Reynolds, the festival also awards an annual scholarship bearing his name, plus a Sara Fuller Student Scholarship through Film Florida. Each year, the submitted student films are judged by top industry professionals and competition finalists are honored at a sizzling live awards show for more than 800 attendees from around the state. Guests have included such notables as Steven Bauer, Amanda Bynes, Vincent Cecere, Clint Howard, Jonathan Krane, Louis Lombardi, Vincent Pastore, Burt Reynolds, Al Sapienza, Tico Torres, and Nick Zano. Winning student films are also screened in their entirety at the students' own premiere during the film festival.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES:  January 23, 2012. Entry packages must be received no later than 5:00pm.  

Eligibility:  Applicant must be a Florida Middle School (for poster only) High School or College Student.  See each category for specific eligibility requirements.

How to Submit:  Complete an online application and mail your package.

EACH CATEGORY ENTRY MUST BE SUBMITTED INDIVIDUALLY, ONLINE and BY MAIL.

Note: Please check the DVD quality, prior to sending. Include all of the required information in a manila envelope and label with the applicants name and school name and category in which you are applying.

College Feature/Short Film Entry
Open to Florida college students. First Place $800, Second Place $400 and Third Place $300.
Films must be 30 minutes or less. Funds will be awarded to the submitting school.

High School Feature/Short Film Entry
Open to Florida High School Students. First Place $800, Second Place $400 and Third Place $300.
Films must be 30 minutes or less. Funds will be awarded to the submitting school.

Documentary Entry
Open to Florida High School and College Students. $300 Award.
Film must be 30 minutes or less. Funds will be awarded to the submitting school.

Music Video Entry
Open to Florida High School and College Students. $250 Award.
Video must be 5 minutes or less. Funds will be awarded to the submitting school.

Commercial/PSA Entry
Open to Florida High School and College Students. $250 Award.
Video must be 30 or 60 seconds or less. Funds will be awarded to the submitting school.

Animation Entry
Open to Florida High School and College Students. $300 Award.
Film must be 30 minutes or less. Funds will be awarded to the submitting school.

Check list for Feature/Short, Documentary, Music Video, Animation and Commercial/PSA:

• A copy of the signed Online Application.
  
  
• 2 copies of your work on DVD. (Mark each DVD with the applicant name, film name and TRT in marker. No labels please. Check your DVD"s to confirm your film/video has recorded properly.)
  
  
• Photocopy of the applicant’s student I.D.

Submission Packages:  Include all the required information in a manila envelope and label with the applicant’s name and school name and category in which you are applying.

Screenwriting Entry
Open to Florida High School and College Students. $200 Award.
All work must be original. Adaptations are not permissible. Submissions must be short film (narrative); 5-45 pages; in any genre.

Screenplay submissions should be in the U.S. Motion Picture industry standard screenplay format and between 5 and 45 pages in length. Submissions should be written in the English language.

We accept Adobe Acrobat PDF, Microsoft Word, and Rich Text Format files. Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter programs which allow simple conversion to PDF and RTF files. We'll consider scripts in which the formatting is fundamentally similar to standard screenplay format, but we will not accept screenplays in which the writer has defined his/her own formatting. We understand that formatting may be lost in electronic transfer; entrants will not be penalized. To ensure your formatting is maintained, please submit a pdf file.

Checklist for Screenwriting Entry:

• A copy of the signed Online Application.
• A hard copy of the script. (Please spell check your script as spelling, punctuation and grammar are part of the judging process)
• A cover page containing the name of the screenplay, the writers name and a logline.
• A copy of the script on CD. (Write with a marker on the CD, the applicant's name and the name of the screenplay)
• Photocopy of the applicant’s student I.D.

Submission Packages:  Include all the required information in a manila envelope and label with the applicant’s name and school name and category in which you are applying.

Burt Reynolds' Scholarship Entry
Open to Palm Beach County High School Seniors Only. $5,000 Award.
Funds will be awarded in the student's name.

Checklist for Burt Reynolds’ Scholarship Entry:

• A copy of the signed Online Application.
• A self-authored letter about why you would like to be considered, your long term goals as they relate to the film & television industry, any information you would like to include about Mr. Reynolds and the need for the scholarship funds.
• A letter of recommendation from your film & television instructor. This letter should include your GPA, community service hours and anything else that may set you apart from other applicants.
• Two copies of a 5 minute compilation reel (a sampling of your video work) of your work on DVD. Include a one sheet or graphics that describes your position on each video piece included. (Write with a marker on the DVD, the applicant's name, schools name and TRT) Note: This compilation reel will not be judged in any other category. You must submit a separate package if you wish to compete in another category.
• If available, a letter of acceptance to a community college or four-year university or include the name the school(s) you have applied to in your self-authored letter.
• Photocopy of your student I.D.

Submission Packages:  Include all of the required information in a manila envelope and label with the applicants name and school name and category in which you are applying.

2013 Poster Design Entry
Open to Florida Middle School and High School Students. $200 Award.
Funds will be awarded in the artist's name.

The poster must include the following verbiage:
18th Annual
Palm Beach International Film Festival's Student Showcase of Films
Coming in April 2013
Poster by: artist name(s)
Florida's largest student film competition invites you to submit a project into one of the following categories:
Feature/Short, Documentary, Burt Reynolds Scholarship, Animation, Commercial/PSA, Music Video, Screenplay, Poster
pbfilm.com
800.745.FILM
Additional verbiage may be included at the discretion of the artist, faculty advisor and/or school.

Checklist for Poster Entry:

• A copy of the signed Online Application
• A Printed, Full Color Hard Copy of the Poster. Required size, 12.25 " X 18.25 " Finished sized poster to include a 1/8 inch bleed on all sides. For questions on poster sizes please email jayg@printwithbudget.com.
• A CD including a High Resolution 600dpi layered/flatten Photoshop or Illustrator file. (Write with a marker on the CD, the applicant's name, Poster Entry and schools name)
• Photocopy of your student I.D.
• Include all of the required information in a manila envelope and label with the applicants name and school name and category in which you are applying.

Mail Submissions Packages to:
Palm Beach County Film & Television Commission
Attn: 2012 Student Showcase of Films
1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. Ste. 900
West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Submission packages must be received no later than 5:00pm EST, January 23, 2012.

 2012 Awards Breakdown

Burt Reynolds Scholarship  $5,000

Feature/Shorts Category

HIGH SCHOOL                           COLLEGE
1st Place  $800                          1st Place  $800
2nd Place $400                          2nd Place $400
3rd Place  $300                          3rd Place  $300

Documentary         $300
Animation              $300
Commercial/PSA   $250
Music Video          $250
Screenwriting         $200
2013 Poster           $200

Special Audience Award  $500

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 fundraisers for educational film and television programs. The festival hosts more than 20,000 filmgoers annually, has been recognized as one of the Top 25 Independent Film Festivals in the world.  The PBIFF has hosted 263 World Premieres and1,662 films from 65 countries.  

The PBIFF has welcomed a bevy of top celebrities 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 Nortan, Robert Ecans, Sylvester Stallone, Woody Harrelson and Burt Reynolds. Along with countless other legends, stars and filmmakers that have created movie magic for the past 8- years, including: Roger Moore, Faye Wray, Esther William, Anouk Aimee, Samuel L. Jackson, Cyd Charisse, Richard Zanuck, William Friedkin, Brett Ratner, Jacqueline Bisset, Michael Clarke Duncan and Rod Steiger.

To date, the PBIFF has donated over one million dollars of proceeds film and television programs. For more information about the PBIFF visit pbifilmfest.org.

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.