Student Filmmaker Showcase
Shorts Package
K-12 Division
Evanescence
2026, PG, U.S., Drama, 10 minutes
Florida Premiere
Director: Una Finn
Producer: Amy Lopez
Writer: Una Finn
Cast: Carmen Piro, Kate Sisk, Nova Ortiz-Riehle, Vivien Roelofs, Kathryn Weber
In a near future where the government taxes memories, a teenage girl discovers her best friend has deliberately forgotten her.
The Hard Way Home
2026, R, U.S., Drama, 16 minutes
Florida Premiere
Director: Hunter Nickless
Producers: Hunter Nickless, Porter Montgomery, Lorelei Lee
Writer: Hunter Nickless, Porter Montgomery
Cast: Porter Montgomery, Jay Gates, Jennifer Pyle, Hunter Nickless, Miri Quaintance
Inspired by true events, this coming-of-age drama follows a boy whose innocence is shattered by domestic chaos, forcing him to confront the past he has spent years trying to escape.
The Chip
2026, PG, U.S., Comedy, 3 minutes
East Coast Premiere
Director: Jack Curby
Producer: Jack Curby
Writer: Jack Curby
Cast: Seth Huake, Gabriel Mungia, Amelia Peralta, Cyred Carlos, Owen Curby
After being pressured into eating an extremely spicy chip, teenager Seth races across his high school in search of milk before the heat becomes unbearable.
College/University Division
Franken Struck
2025, PG, U.S., Animation, 5 minutes
Florida Film
Director: Sommar Boulware
Producer: Kansas McWhirter
Writer: Sommar Boulware
Cast: Erica Stone
A reckless hand, a lethal play, a love so pure now ripped away. Forged hot from rage and shocking light, the Creature’s love must set things right.
Gardeners
2025, N/R, U.S., Drama, 17 minutes
Florida Premiere
Filmmakers in Attendance
English and Chinese with English Subtitles
Director: Merry May Ma
Producers: Merry May Ma, Hamoun Dolatshahi
Writers: Joshua Huang, Merry May Ma, Jessica Yue Wang
Cast: Stacy Pan Chu, Jessica Ray, Richard Kaner, Rory Kelly
On the verge of losing her research and her grip, an engineer encounters a mushroom musician who leads her toward an unexpected discovery hidden in the nano-landscape.
Timbertown:
The Squirrel and the Lumberjack
2026, N/R, U.S., Animation, 4 minutes
Director: Avery Noble
Writer: Avery Noble
Cast: Adam Frost-Venrick, Rob Stoller
New to a mountain town and overwhelmed by anxiety, Mr. Chestnut befriends a mythical lumberjack who helps him see that a change in perspective can change everything.
Watchdog
2025, N/R, U.S., Thriller, 16 minutes
Florida Premiere
Spanish and English with English Subtitles
Director: Harsh Vardhan Singh
Producers: Marina Klimann Nunez, Shuyi Wang, Caitlin Carmichael, Akhil Koppisetti, Harsh Vardhan Singh
Writer: Harsh Vardhan Singh
Cast: Daniel Torres, Juan Manuel Sierra, Eliezer Ortiz
Desperate for work, a struggling migrant worker takes on a backbreaking job as a farm guard dog, where survival comes at the cost of submission.
Buck and Burrow
2026, N/R, U.S., Musical, 16 minutes
U.S. Premier
Filmmakers in Attendance
Director: Maya Oster
Writer: Maya Oster
Cast: Sydney Davidson, Eric Miller, Christopher Hatfield
A 1970s Nashville country duo’s rising fame exposes the cracks in their romance, turning heartbreak into their biggest spotlight yet.