FORT BEND ISD (March 6, 2025) — At the 10^th annual Film Fest Awards Night on February 27, student finalists from across the district were honored at Stephen F. Austin High School for their achievements in categories that included documentary production, photography and broadcasting.

Film Fest is a competition in which FBISD students submit their films and photography in six different categories: 60 second short, narrative, documentary, student life photography, sports photography, and broadcasting. Students from elementary to high school are encouraged to enter the contest, which offers unique opportunities outside the classroom.

“I feel like digital media is overlooked in our community right now,” first place winner in the Sports Photography category Juhi Godbole said when explaining why Film Fest is important to her. “You know, everything is very clipped and videos are short, but we don’t really get to highlight and recognize our longer social media and photography work.”

At the awards ceremony, bright lights and gold and black balloon pillars temporarily transformed Austin High’s auditorium into a classic cinema. The night began with a brief introduction and overview of the ceremony by Kim Wienken, the curriculum coordinator for digital media at Fort Bend ISD. Then, the top three winners for each age group were announced for the six different film categories.

Various teachers from different Fort Bend ISD high schools gave brief descriptions of each category. Afterwards, as each finalist’s name was called, a short clip of their film or photograph played on screen.

The awards night concluded with the final category: Special Awards, including People’s Choice, Best Cinematography, Best Storyline, and Best Picture.

Overall, Film Fest was a spectacular display of creativity and talent. Film techniques ranged from stop motion to animation, and topics ranged from fervent calls to environmentalism to relatable coming-of-age stories. It was clear that each finalist put hard work and passion into their work.

 “Something that Film Fest has taught me is that you should always be confident in what you’re doing and you should never be afraid to put your work out there,” Juhi said.

Film Fest is one of the many ways that Fort Bend ISD nurtures creativity, encourages passion, and supports students outside of the classroom. Many finalists expressed eagerness to compete again next year.