HOWELL – Howell High School film students did not return empty-handed after their trip to the 2019 NJ High School Film Challenge, recently held at Jackson Liberty High School.
Students from Howell High Schools’ Fine and Performing Arts Center program earned five big wins at the film contest, including Best Overall Film.
According to the Freehold Regional High School District, HHS won the following:
- “Setting Sail,” directed by Isabella DeFabritus, won Best Overall Film, Best Screenplay and Best Actress for Juliana Santamauro.
- “Fostering Hope,” a short film created by Olivia Douglas, Joan Connolly, Lulu Chouha and Mitch Ritter, took home second place for Best Drama.
- “Paper Dolls,” a film created by Sophie Genovese-Mester, Victoria Kral, Lily Fraser, Danny Fischer, and Maggie Orsino, won Best Use of Prop.
During the Film Challenge, students not only get the opportunity to showcase their film creations, but also engage in workshops with industry professionals, participate in hands-on learning with equipment and teacher roundtable talk, and screen winning films.
With the 2019 wins, ET Video students are adding to the trophies already nabbed in previous years at the event. The five awards in 2019 ties the program high from the year before.
“The Rebels are enjoying an exceptionally successful year in program history, with the ET Video students having screened 28 films at 16 different festivals with 11 wins,” stated the district.
While they wait to hear back on their entries to various festivals around the country and the world, you can see some of these Howell students’ films close to home in the meantime. A few films will be screened at the upcoming Lighthouse International Film Festival in June and the Monmouth Film Festival in August.
Visit HowellFPACVideo on YouTube to get a look for yourself at what these students have been working on.
