Florida Artists Announced As Finalists For 2014 Student Showcase Of Films Awards Show

WEST PALM BEACH, CA, February 23, 2014 (Press-News.org) The Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) - in collaboration with the Palm Beach County Film & Television Commission, announced finalists today for the 2014 Student Showcase of Films. The finalists were selected out of 256 entries and the winners will be announced on Friday, March 14 before more than 700 students and industry professionals at the Student Showcase of Films at Lynn University's Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center in Boca Raton.

This next generation of Florida filmmakers will be awarded with more than $10,000 in cash and scholarships. SSOF is the largest statewide film competition for students enrolled in high school and college film and television programs. Entries are judged by 27 industry professionals from around the United States and winning student films will be screened in their entirety during the film festival in April 2014.

The placements of the winners for the Feature/Short category as well as the Burt Reynolds scholarship will be announced at the 19th annual awards ceremony. The finalists, listed in alphabetical order by last name, are:

Feature/Short, College:
Curtis Adair, Florida State University, Little Africa
Kyle Adams, Florida State University, Axiom
Hyungik Lee, Florida State University, Banana Trip

Feature/Short, High School:
Rachel Andelman, Shorecrest High School, The Zipper
Julie Bergman, Spanish River High School, Bright Eyes
Trevor Viner, Cavalry Christian, The End of the Beginning

SSOF's competition winners in other categories include:

1st Place Commercial/PSA
Daniela Arguello, Cypress Bay High School, Disconnected

1st Place Documentary
Jon Sams, Florida State University, The Surreal and the Self

1st Place Music Video
Julia Carlin, Palm Beach Central High School, Delirium

1st Place Animation
Joon Soo Song, Joon Shik Song and Josiah Haworth, Ringling, Brain Divided

1st Place Nellie and Fred Chasin Screenwriting
Frank Canas, Seminole Ridge High School, The Right Thing

1st Place Poster
Liana Rodriguez, South Tech Academy

The top 10 high school feature/shorts, as scored by the judges, are eligible for online voting, starting today and running up until the morning of March 14. The feature short with the most votes will receive the Audience Award at the Student Showcase of Films. Click here to vote for your favorite online entry.

Florida native and longtime supporter Burt Reynolds will present the $2,500 scholarship that also bears his name. This year's Burt Reynolds Scholarship Winner will be revealed at the awards ceremony. Presented through Film Florida, SSOF will also present a $500 Sara Fuller Scholarship.

The winners of this year's competition will walk the red carpet and receive awards in front of more than 700 attendees at the live SSOF awards show on Friday, March 14. The red carpet pre-event will begin at 9:30 a.m. The awards show will begin at 10:30am at the Keith C. & Elaine Johnson World Performing Arts Center at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.

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 3-10, 2014)
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.