Film Prize Junior Breaks Attendance Record, Winners Announced

Student Filmmakers, Teachers and Schools Pack the House and Take Home Over $18,000 in Prizes from Film Prize Junior 2024

Film Prize Junior Breaks Attendance Record, Winners Announced Photos courtesy of Jeremy Hernandez

SHREVEPORT, LA – After breaking its attendance record, Film Prize Junior’s 2024 festival came to a close yesterday during a live broadcasted Awards Ceremony where the winning films were announced and over $18,000 in scholarships and media grants were awarded. The festival, presented by the Prize Foundation, was part of Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s Artbreak! Festival and featured screenings of a record-breaking 96 films from 54 schools across the state of Louisiana, 42 of which were Title One schools. A diverse group of student filmmakers from all over the state and their teachers, families, and friends filled the Film Prize Junior theaters and voted for their favorite films for the Audience Choice winners.

Film Prize Junior is the student version of the Prize Foundation’s independent film program and competition, the Louisiana Film Prize. Film Prize Junior is open to high school and middle school students across the state of Louisiana. The competition was created by Tobias Kallenberg, son of Film Prize founder Gregory Kallenberg, and aims to incentivize students to become engaged in the collaborative, multidisciplinary art form of filmmaking and creative entrepreneurship while guiding students through the entire process from screenwriting to production to marketing of the film.

“We’ve never seen this level of excitement and exuberance for Film Prize Junior, and we couldn’t have been prouder to watch so many students and their teachers connect over their films and their creative endeavors,” said Gregory Kallenberg, Executive Director and Founder of the Prize Foundation. “While we congratulate the filmmakers and their educators from Film Prize Junior 2024, we especially look forward to all these young filmmakers coming back for Film Prize Junior 2025!”

In addition to viewing and voting for films, the festival featured a virtual red carpet for the student filmmakers, film industry-led mentorship panels for students and their teachers, and Production Island, an interactive exhibit hosted by local filmmakers where students were given guided, hands-on access to cameras as well as lighting and sound equipment. This year’s festival also offered a free filmmaking masterclass for students. The masterclass featured instruction and exercises to teach middle school and high school students the art and science of filmmaking. Experts from the Louisiana Film Prize and a local media educator from Bossier Parish Community College hosted the day-long summit. For the first time, 2024 saw the addition of a poster design contest, voted on by festival attendees and sponsored by Troubled Muse Studios. Additional support for the festival was given by Louisiana Economic Development’s Entertainment Division and Louisiana Film and Entertainment Association.

The awards on Sunday were a standing-room-only affair, filled with students and teachers cheering on each other as the winners were called by the Film Prize Junior Staff. And the winners of Film Prize Junior 2024 are…

In the high school division, a panel of industry professionals voted for the Judges’ Choice Award, which was presented to Briar Jo from Dutchtown High School. The school received a $1,500 media grant along with $1,000 to the sponsoring teacher and $500 for a student celebration. The Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film ended in a tie between Breaking Bread from Caddo Parish Magnet High School and Take the Hint from C.E. Byrd High School. Each school will receive a $1,500 equipment grant for the school, $500 award for the sponsoring teacher, and $250 for student celebration.

For the middle school division, the Judge’s Choice Award went to Drought from Southfield School. The school received a $1,500 media grant along with $1,000 to the sponsoring teacher and $500 for a student celebration. The Audience Choice Award went to Struggle Bus from Caddo Middle Magnet, earning a $1,500 equipment grant for the school, $500 award for the sponsoring teacher, and $250 for student celebration.

Films were also recognized for best in genre. For high school, Best Animation went both to Briar Jo from Dutchtown High School; Best Comedy to Man’s Best Friend from Caddo Career and Technical Center; Best Documentary to What is Justice? from The NET Charter High School (Central City); Best Drama to Take the Hint from C.E. Byrd High School; Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy to JANUS 3.1 from Louisiana School for Math Science & the Arts; Best Thriller both to Trapped Inside My Reflection from St. Amant High School.

For middle school, Best Animation went both to Drought from Southfield School; Best Comedy went to Abby’s First Day from Loreauville High School; Best Documentary to Chasing Greatness: the Omarion Miller Story from North Caddo Elementary-Middle School; Best Drama to Release from Ruppel Academie Francaise; Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy to Fantastic Fear Fighters from Pierre A. Capdau S.T.E.A.M. School; and Best Thriller to ESCAPE from Harriet Tubman Charter School.

For the Film Poster Contest, the winning poster for the high school division was Briar Jo from Dutchtown High School, and Struggle Bus from Caddo Middle Magnet won the middle school division. Each winning poster will earn the student designers honors and a certificate, a $250 prize for the sponsoring teacher, and a $1500 tech bundle including a Mac Mini and accessories for the student’s school.

In addition to the best of genres and poster art, select films were chosen by the judges’ panel to receive a Founder’s Circle award. The Founder’s Circle provides $250 grants to the schools to create films for next year’s festival.

For high school films, the Founder’s Circle awards went to the following films: Finally from Istrouma High School; Mental Health Crisis: Do You Know The Signs?? from Booker T Washington New Technology High School; Sabor de la Casa from Young Audience Charter School; I Don’t Want a Christmas Without You from West Ouachita High School; The Neverending Duel from Woodlawn High School; and Priceless Love from Airline High School.

For middle school films, the Founder’s Circle awards went to the following films: The Trophy from Harriet Tubman Charter School; The Unforgettable Gift from Mildred Osborne Charter School; Hawk History from Herndon Magnet School; The Magic Pen from South Highlands Elementary Magnet School; and The Gardens vs. The Machines from Eden Gardens Fundamental Elementary School.

For more information about the program and to view the films, visit FilmPrizeJr.com.

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The Prize Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012 and based out of Shreveport, LA. Our mission is to promote economic growth, workforce development, youth job training, creative class entrepreneurial buildout and increased tourism through education, entrepreneurship, conferences, contests and festivals in Shreveport and Northwest Louisiana. The Prize Foundation operates six major initiatives year-round: Louisiana Film Prize, Film Prize Junior, Startup Prize, Food Prize, Music Prize, and Fashion Prize. Each Prize has a qualification process, engagement with economic and cultural resources, and an educational component.