WOODSTOCK, GA — The Cherokee Office of Economic Development (COED), in partnership with the Cherokee County School District’s (CCSD) Audio/Video Technology & Film (AVTF) educators, proudly celebrated the 8th Annual Cherokee Student Film Festival with a live screening and awards presentation on March 24.
This year’s event once again highlighted the creativity, technical skill, and storytelling talent emerging from Cherokee County’s high school filmmakers. More than 250 attendees gathered at Woodstock Arts to watch a curated lineup of 22 student-made films, each produced under real world parameters designed to mirror professional industry standards.
After a competitive submission process, 10 groups qualified for the judging round, where films were evaluated by an expert panel of judges including: Shawn Bulloch with Clayton State, Steven Hames with Berry College, Mitch Olson with Kennesaw State University, James Hamilton with the University of Georgia, Brent Zaffino with the Peaberry Film Festival, Justin Webb a local media producer, and Julian De La Cal and Graham Scott with the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD).
Awards were issued based on the judges’ total scores in the following categories: Best Cinematography, Best Sound Quality, Best Use of Prop, Best Use of Line, and Best of Genre. The Award of Excellence was presented to the highest scoring film overall. Festival attendees were also able to cast their votes in the Audience Choice category.
This year’s winners included:
Winter Again | “Award of Excellence,” “Overall Highest Score,” “Best Cinematography,” “Best Drama,” and “Audience Choice” – Sequoyah High School
Shivin Amrith, Noelle Graden, Brooklyn Baggarly
Mileage Man | “Audience Choice” for non-qualifying films – Cherokee High School
Mitchell Grauso, Abigail Gaddis, Madilynn Gaddis
The Bust | “Best Comedy” – Sequoyah High School
Ethan Hyson, Gavin Jones, Anderson Pilotto
The Caw | “Best Mystery/Suspense” and “Best Sound Quality” – Woodstock High School
David De Matos Freitas, Brayden Ensley, Evelyn Battle, Aveline Klimowicz
Sam’s Face | “Best Sci-Fi/Superhero” – Sequoyah High School
Layla Carras, Emily Williams, Luca Rufino
The Thing with Feathers | “Best Use of Line” and “Best Use of Prop” – Etowah High School
Corinne Thomas, Ella Stelmach, Emily Jung
Additionally, two teacher-nominated students, David De Matos Freitas (Woodstock HS) and Corinne Thomas (Etowah HS), were awarded scholarships for a full week of intensive film studies at the SCAD Summer Seminar for this upcoming summer.
Earlier this year, upper level AVTF students from every CCSD high school gathered for the 8th Annual Cherokee Student Film Summit, an immersive, in county experience designed to blend industry exposure with practical skill building. Students heard directly from working pros – including artists who contributed to Netflix’s Stranger Things and motion capture engineers behind Academy Award-winning tools used on films like Avatar and Happy Feet – and rotated through workshops and panels that spotlighted real career paths behind the camera.
Beyond the inspiration, the summit emphasized workforce ready skills that transfer far beyond film – collaboration, problem solving, creative thinking, and technical proficiency – preparing students for success wherever their careers lead. Hands-on demos gave students tangible practice that fed directly into their festival submissions.
Together, the summit and festival create a pipeline: exposure, skill building, and a public showcase that connects students to postsecondary options and industry opportunities here in Cherokee County.
“Being a part of the Cherokee Student Film Festival has helped me to learn how to work in a time crunch and collaborate with other people. The film festival challenges your ability to make an amazing product in such little time,” said Sequoyah High School senior Noelle Graden, whose team won top honors for their short film Winter Again. “You have to juggle everything thrown your way, but that’s what makes it so rewarding in the end. To know you can produce a film people love with limited time and limited resources makes the victory even sweeter.”
AVTF educators work closely with COED throughout the year to plan, review, coach, and prepare students for these capstone events.
“Partnerships like this expand what’s possible for our students,” said Superintendent of Schools Mary Elizabeth Davis. “The summit and festival are more than events. They’re hands-on learning experiences that help our students grow, achieve, and see real pathways from the classroom to a career.”
“Our collaboration with CCSD is about sharpening students’ craft while opening doors,” said Heath Tippens, President of COED. “By pairing professional feedback with real production parameters and a public showcase, we’re helping students level up their skills and make connections that can lead to internships, jobs, and long-term‑ careers in film and media.”
To learn more about film in Cherokee County, visit cherokeega.org/film-media. Watch this year’s winning entries at youtube.com/@shschiefstv.
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About the Cherokee Office of Economic Development
COED is Cherokee’s leading organization for business and film recruitment, and industry retention and expansion. For more information, visit www.cherokeega.org.
