ATL Jewish Film Announces Student Film Winners

The first annual ATL Jewish Film student filmmaking showcase played to a sold-out audience at the Tara Theatre. The showcase, which consisted of 10 films produced by more than 100 students from nine public, private, and charter high schools in the Atlanta area, was created around the theme of “Building Bridges.”

The theme, which is aimed at promoting greater understanding among diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious groups, has also been part of the Jury Awards at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, which is produced by ATL Jewish Film.

For Kenny Blank, artistic and executive director of ATL Jewish Film, this year’s entries made for an impressive collection.

“This showcase reflects what happens when students are given the space and support to tell stories that matter to them,” Blank said. “The films show tremendous heart and imagination. Most importantly they demonstrate how storytelling can bridge differences and bring communities together.”

There were three prizes given to the winners at the inaugural event. The Building Bridges Award was won by a 12-member team of ninth through twelfth graders from Georgia Cyber Academy, an online public charter school. The production follows two high school girls as they confront racial, cultural, and social issues while competing in a robotics competition.

The short film, “Opposite Equalities,” explores how racial bias and social barriers can stand in the way of meaningful cooperation. Because Georgia Cyber Academy is a virtual educational experience, about 70 percent of the production and planning for the film took place online.

One of the judges, Amanda Vincent, who works as the business development manager of Tyler Perry Studio in Atlanta, was particularly impressed by the “compelling narrative and examination of complex themes such as elitism, social stratification, and the universal search for belonging.”

The Peer Award, which was selected by the young filmmakers voting among themselves, went to “Mother’s Song,” put together by a team from The Lovett School. It is about two half-sisters, one who is Black and adopted and the other who is white, who struggle to come to terms with each other after the death of their mother.

The Artistic Excellence Award went to the entry from North Atlanta High School’s, “You Can Trust Me,” which recounts the struggle that a 17-year-old young woman faces as she attempts to reconcile her sense of betrayal in the relationships of those closest to her.

The other schools taking part in the competition were Cumberland Academy of Georgia, The Galloway School, Holy Innocents Episcopal School, Marist School, The Westminster Schools, and Woodward Academy.

The Student Filmmaking Competition is part of a new direction that the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival has taken in its 25th year. Not only has the organization added this new program, it has rebranded itself as ATL Jewish Film and raised more than $2 million this year to expand its year around educational programming.

Participants in this year’s competition took part in a production process that carried them through seven different stages. These included concept development, scriptwriting, casting, production planning, photography, editing, and the final presentation.

This showcase reflects what happens when students are given the space and support to tell stories that matter to them.

The organization’s Education and Youth Engagement Initiative is an important part of the Kenny Blank Vision Initiative, which expanded year-round programming that connects film and education

Funding for this year’s Education Initiative also came from the lead underwriters, Sheri and Steve Labovitz, who praised this year’s entries.

“Those young filmmakers showed incredible commitment and collaboration. Supporting their voices is an investment in Atlanta’s future, one that is built on creativity, curiosity, and connection.”

Filmmaking competitions among high school students have expanded dramatically in recent years as the cost of producing video and editing has dropped substantially. Some films can be produced with little more than a cell phone and a laptop computer.

There are at least 19 national contests for high schoolers, with prizes of some reaching $100,000 and more. The Atlanta High School Film Festival is hosted by The Westminster School Studio W production facility. It welcomes films from students in at least 18 states, mostly in the south and southeast.

At least two Jewish film festivals in the southeast, in Nashville, Tenn., and in Columbia, S.C., also sponsor such competitions.

For college students, the opportunities are even more appealing. There are student film competitions at such important festivals as Sundance and Tribeca and success can sometimes lead to an opportunity for filmmakers to make the transition to the commercial film world.

More news about ATL Jewish Film’s student competition for 2026 is expected at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, which runs from Feb. 18 to March 15.