PB Film

WINNERS OF THE 28th ANNUAL STUDENT SHOWCASE OF FILMS ANNOUNCED

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WINNERS OF THE 28^th ANNUAL STUDENT SHOWCASE OF FILMS ANNOUNCED

 G-Star student, Tyndall Dickinson walks away as the big winner earning the Burt Reynolds Scholarship and 1st place in the High School Feature/Short category.

(Jupiter, FL – April 25, 2023) - The 28^th Annual Palm Beaches Student Showcase of Films (SSOF), Florida’s largest student film competition and award show, proudly announces this year’s class of winners. The star-studded event paid homage to the ‘90s and allowed many of the guests to experience a decade much before their time. The newly renovated Maltz Jupiter Theatre set the stage for this blast-to-the-past experience, where guests arrived in style and walked down the red carpet to a specially curated playlist.

Among the celebrity presenters were local television personalities, Jay Cashmere from WPTV Channel 5, Matt Lincoln from WPEC CBS 12, T.A. Walker from WPTV Channel 5, and ESPN – West Palm Beach and Palm Beaches TV Watch Party host, Theo Dorsey.  Kitty Lundan, star of the new series What’s Poppin, PBC? now available on demand on The Palm Beaches TV, presented this year’s Vanilla Ice Music Video award. Vanilla Ice, who is a longtime supporter of SSOF, is currently in Australia filming his new movie, Zombies on a Plane. Frank Licari, an Emmy-nominated host, a Telly and Addy award-winning writer, producer, actor, and star of South Florida PBS’s On the Town in The Palm Beaches with Frank Licari hosted the live show. His opening solo act and accompanying set brought back the nostalgia of a life before social media, streaming services, and YouTube.

One highlight of the morning was the presentation of the Burt Reynolds Scholarship, named after the late actor who founded the old dinner theatre, now renamed Maltz Jupiter Theatre, which opened in 1979. The award was presented by actress and award-winning documentary filmmaker Suzanne Niedland, and multi-award-winning film and television writer, producer, director, and cinematographer, Frank Eberling. As members of the Burt Reynolds Scholarship Committee, along with Aaron Wells and E.K. Keratsis, they dedicated hours to scoring submissions in this category, and interviewing each of the five finalists to decide who would be the recipient of this year’s award. Tyndall Dickinson, from G-Star School of the Arts in Palm Springs, was the winner of this year’s $5,000 Burt Reynolds Scholarship award. Runners up in this category were Sabrina Dubner, 2023 recipient of the Sara Fuller Scholarship, sponsored by Film Florida and Maya Morales, recipient of the inaugural Mel Maron Scholarship award.

“This year, the Student Showcase of Films received a record-breaking 528 eligible submissions from 75 schools across the state,” said Michelle Hillery, Palm Beach County’s Film and Television Commissioner and Executive Producer of the Student Showcase of Films. “Our judging panel of 42 entertainment industry experts had a tough assignment choosing the finalists, and today’s audience will experience firsthand the outstanding level of talent found in our Florida schools.”

More than $20,000 in scholarship money, along with customized signature trophies, were awarded.

The winners of the 28^th Annual Palm Beaches Student Showcase of Films are:

Commercial/PSA Award ($1,000)

Isabella Pena, G-Star School of the Arts (Palm Springs) - “It’s Not What You Wear”

Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful Inc. Environmental PSA Award ($1,000)

Angelina Diaz, Key West High School (Key West) - “Visit Florida”

 Nellie & Fred Chasin Screenwriting Award ($500)

Coral Hodges, Dreyfoos School of the Arts (West Palm Beach) - “The Library”

 Vanilla Ice Music Video Award ($1,000)

Joel Guevara, Miami-Dade College (Miami) - “Cogela”

 Animation Award ($1,000)

Nikita Maltsev, Hollins High School (St. Petersburg) - “Etiquette and Body Language on a Date”

 Suzanne Niedland Documentary Award ($1,000)

Corey Marr, University of Central Florida (Orlando) - “Liminal Times”

 Burt Reynolds Scholarship ($5,000)

Burt Reynolds Scholarship Winner – Tyndall Dickinson, G-Star School of the Arts (Palm Springs)

Sara Fuller Scholarship ($1,000) – Sabrina Dubner, American Heritage (Delray Beach)

Mel Maron Scholarship ($1,000) – Maya Morales, Seminole Ridge Community High School (Loxahatchee)

FINALIST – Jessie Pitts, Seminole Ridge Community High School (Loxahatchee)

FINALIST – Paul Brunache, Palm Beach Gardens High School (Palm Beach Gardens)

 High School Feature/Short Awards

1^st Place – Tyndall Dickinson, G-Star School of the Arts (Palm Springs) – “Homeroom” ($1,500)

2^nd Place – Ayden Kostzer, West Broward High School (Pembroke Pines) – “Hope and Faith: It’s Up To You” ($1,000)

3^rd Place – Troy LoNigro, Nature Coast Technical High School (Brooksville) – “Mirror of the Past” ($750)

 College Feature/Short Awards

1^st Place – Jaelyn Ellis, Florida State University (Tallahassee) – “Girlhood” ($2,000)

2^nd Place – Caleb Jordan Voyles, Full Sail University (Winter Park) – “The Ballad of Rich and Champ” ($1,500)

3^rd Place – Calvin Callins, Jr., Ringling College of Art & Design (Sarasota) – “Contagious Swagger” ($1,250)

 Poster Design Award ($1,000)

Glara Demesmin, SouthTech Academy (Boynton Beach)

For images and videos, please click here.

 

About The Palm Beaches Student Showcase of Films

Student submissions are judged by industry professionals with finalists to be presented with cash awards and prizes during the red-carpet awards show. Every year, the SSOF awards show attracts more than 650 students and their families, along with celebrity presenters, industry pros, media, state and county dignitaries, performers and more. Celebrity presenters have included Burt Reynolds, Vanilla Ice, Cheri Oteri, Backstreet Boys Howie D., Thomas Ian Nicholas, Bruce Campbell, Clint Howard, Linda Blair, Montel Williams, Anthony Anderson, Ice-T, Martin Kove, Billy West, Hector David Jr., Conrad Ricamora, Zack Gottsagen and many more! The SSOF is funded by the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners through the Department of Housing & Economic Development. Major sponsors include The Maltz Jupiter Theatre, the Palm Beach County School District, Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council and the Palm Beach County Film & Television Commission. Category sponsors include Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful, Inc. (Environmental PSA Award), Film Florida (Sara Fuller Scholarship), Suzanne Niedland (Suzanne Niedland Documentary), and Michael Chasin (Nellie & Fred Chasin Screenwriting Award). For more information, please visit www.pbfilm.com/ssof.

 

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