For immediate release Media contact: Kristi Marquez O’Donnell Agency (561) 832-3231 [email protected] 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. ###