Students Shine Bright at Student Showcase of Films
![A group of high school film students each hold the awards that they won on a large stage.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1746545007/palmbeachschoolsorg/efhigcfuiluhftycn4wd/StudentShowcaseofFilms2025.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1746545007/palmbeachschoolsorg/efhigcfuiluhftycn4wd/StudentShowcaseofFilms2025.jpg","width":400}])
The 30th annual Palm Beaches Student Showcase of Films (SSOF), Florida’s largest student film competition and award show, celebrated this year’s class of winners at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre on April 25.
Twenty-one winners were selected from 85 schools across Florida, showcasing the incredible creativity of the state’s emerging talent.
The student finalists, along with their families, teachers, cast, and crew were honored in front of a live, standing room-only audience of nearly 700 people. The audience witnessed the outstanding level of talent found in Florida’s high schools and colleges. More than $30,000 in scholarship money, prizes, and customized signature trophies were awarded.
An emotional highlight of the show was the presentation of the coveted Burt Reynolds Scholarship, named after the late actor and industry mentor who originally founded the showcase venue in 1978 as an iconic dinner theater. The SSOF Scholarship Committee was moved by the 2025 winner of the scholarship, Ryan Markovitz from Dreyfoos School of the Arts. The Committee praised his cinematic instincts and sophisticated talent in directing and editing.
Mary Vail Vasquez, Violette Narcisse, and Autumn Muckle from Palm Beach Gardens Community High School triumphed in the Palm Beach County Tourism PSA category sponsored by Discover the Palm Beaches, for their exceptional PSA, the Palm Beaches are Paradise.
District students received additional scholarships and awards:
- Reagan Bresnahan – Seminole Ridge Community High School: Film Florida Sara Fuller Scholarship ($1,000).
- Shayla Stillwaggon – Seminole Ridge Community High School: Mel Maron Scholarship ($1,000)
- Rachel Hunter – Seminole Ridge Community High School: Gray Family Scholarship ($1,000).
Click here to see the complete list of winners.
The live event was hosted by Frank Licari, three-time Emmy-nominated host, award-winning entertainer, and host of On the Town in the Palm Beaches with Frank Licari which airs on South Florida PBS.
Celebrity award presenters included hip-hop artist, actor, and television host, Vanilla Ice; DJ Newmark, known as the legendary throwback king; NAACP award-winning actor Jevon White; as well as news anchors Matt Lincoln from WPEC CBS 12, and Tania Rogers from WPTV News Channel 5 and WFLX F0X 29.
