New York City Public School Film Festival

8th Annual New York City Public School Film Festival

The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and NYC Public Schools congratulate the students whose films were chosen as part of the 8th Annual New York City Public School Film Festival. The New York City Public School Film Festival is an opportunity for students to submit their work and perhaps see it screened. 

Twenty-three student films (Click Here for the Festival Program) from public schools citywide were selected in the categories of Feature/Narrative, Animation, Experimental, PSA Advocacy and Documentary by a panel of NYC Public School Film Festival teachers and media professionals. The student filmmakers chosen represent the diversity of public school student voices across the five boroughs.

• Highlights from 7th Annual New York City Public School Film Festival
• Highlights from 6th Annual New York City Public School Film Festival
• Highlights from 5th Annual New York City Public School Film Festival
• Highlights from 4th Annual New York City Public School Film Festival
• Highlights from 3rd Annual New York City Public School Film Festival

Presto! | Director: Ciara Colon; Producer: Barthelemy Atsin; Writer: Ciara Colon | Key Cast: Janae Lee Smith, Miriam Khelashvili | School: Bronx High School for the Visual Arts; Teacher: Barthelemy Atsin
About: Nikolai Deluca, a young and amateur street magician, scores the opportunity to perform at the big city’s magic talent show among other professional magicians with his pet dove, Presto.

La Yacumama | Director and Writer: Sofia Salazar; Producer: Jay Vargas Filpo | Photographers: Jay Vargas Filpo & Sofia Salazar | Animators: Selvin Acosta, Jay Vargas Filpo & Sofia Salazar; School: Brooklyn International High School | Teacher: Norma Gaytán
About: La Yacumama, the snake Goddess of the Amazon River tries to hunt a man who is fishing in her waters.

One Land | Director, Producer, and Key Cast: Flora Farkas | School: Gramercy Arts High School; Teacher: Emily Lemp
About: This film touches animals as an allegorical starting point, this film explores the harsh realities of immigration, transitioning to show how humans are punished for seeking a better life. By highlighting the parallels between animal migration and human movement, the film emphasizes that both are driven by a fundamental need to survive, in the end showing we are all the same.

SRS CREAL | Director: Christopher Turenne; School: KIPP AMP Middle School | Teacher: Ashley Allen
About: Some people are addicted to their fave snacks they overlook important details.

My little white pony | Producer: Kiara Esther Bosque Sanchez | School: Motion Picture Tech High School; Teacher: David Fitzpatrick
About: A girl named Charm has a white, blond-haired, red-eyed pet pony from another planet. In this experimental music video, she bonds with her pet pony, expressing their friendship. The video also contains different kinds of animation such as: 3d animation, frame by frame 2d animation, rigging 2d animation, and stop motion.

The Inner Eye’s Mind | Director, Writer, Producer, and Key Cast: Rocco Leibowitz | School: Staten Island Technical High School; Teacher: Michael Van Buren
About: Throughout wildly varying scenery, all the influences in one individual’s mind blend together to create a dreamlike visual expression of the process behind imagination and thought itself. Using different digital animation techniques and live action shots, unique worlds are built that blend and flow seamlessly together. These scenes stylistically jump across time as more traditional cinematic imagery contrasts with imagery of the now aged optimism of retro technologies. Together, they weave an abstract self-aware story about struggling to stay original as computers both support and wreak havoc upon the creative process.

Crazy Makeup | Writer and Producer: Jenny Martinez; Key Cast: Jenny Martinez, Brigitte Cielo | School: Academy for Careers in Television and Film; Teacher: Jeff Crook | Directors: Jenny Martinez, Justin Gabriel Santos
About: What starts with a friendly makeover ends with unexpected consequences.

Cradling the Past | Key Cast: Marlow Bedder; Sound Design and Editing: Izzy Myung Sung Salaff | Music: LochHaven and friendly to crows | School: Frank Sinatra High School of the Arts; Teacher: Jason Spagnuoli | Director, Writer, and Producer: Izzy Myung Sung Salaff
About: A teenager wakes up in a panic to find herself in a tunnel of past memories.

Salt in the Soil | Producer: Celeste Duffy | School: DCTV Youth Media | Teacher: Johnny Ramos
About: The story a mother tells as she confronts her past trauma, and highlights her growth as a mother and a woman.

The Simple Things | Director, Writer, and Editor: Jazmin Lopez | School: Theater Arts Production Company School | Teacher: Erika Houle
About: A Dominican filmmaker’s response to the prompt “What does my culture mean to me?” for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Social Media | Director: Dashani Caton | Writers: Elida Lopez Perez, Jakub Drozd, Dashani Caton, Brianna Martinez, Emma Xocol | Producer: Jakub Drozd, Elida Lopez Perez, Emma Xocol | Key Cast: Brianna Martinez, Jakub Drozd, Anna Reid | School: Sunset Park High School with Reel Works; Teacher: Jennifer Herbert
About: In this documentary, students interview a few people about their use of Social Media.

The Next Pitch | Directors: Reiny Ortiz Jr. | Writer and Producer: Reiny Ortiz Jr. | Key Cast: Christopher Garcia Duarte, Christian Garcia Duarte, Ralph Wallace, Angelo Pacheco, Angelo Pabon, Anaiscio Ortiz, Reiny Ortiz Jr. | School: Richmond Hill High School | Teacher: Norman Wong
About: This short film highlights the Richmond Hill baseball team as they take a look back on last season and their focus on preparing for the upcoming season. Through interviews and training videos, the team shares their mindset to improve this season.

Charlie | Producers: Kate Moore, Thai Merritt, Nicholas Robertson, Jamal Rolland, Nike Alfandari Elazar | School: Art and Design High School | Teacher: Hanan Harchol
About: Documentary about a special needs student, Charlie, through the lens of his family.

Sandy | Director and Writer: Jacob-Esau Lopez; Producer: Isaac Lopez | Key Cast: Jacob-Esau Lopez, Roselin Lopez, Isaac Lopez, Vanessa Suero-Lopez | School: PS/IS 187 Hudson Cliffs School | Official Submission to 12th Annual 187 Film Festival | Teacher: Michael Bridenstine
About: A grain of sand becomes so much more than he ever could imagine, for better or worse.

Imaginary Friend | Director and Writer: Eian Riedlinger | Key Cast: Justin Montilla, Lamisa Uddin | School: J.H.S. 202 Robert H. Goddard | Teacher: Anthony Alvarez
About: Imaginary Friend is a heartfelt short film about Tyler, a quiet middle schooler who struggles with confidence and connecting with others. When an unexpected new friend enters his life, Tyler is gently challenged to step outside his comfort zone and see himself differently. Tyler begins to find his voice, discovering that the courage he’s been looking for has been within him all along.

Socialphobic | Director and Writer: Michael Once | Key Cast: Yessica Salas, Arianny Carmona, Juellen Rivera, Elian Olaverria | School: The Cinema School |Teacher: Jessica Brownstein, Reymi Reyes
About: After her mother becomes too sick to leave the house, Ava must face her fears and walk a few blocks alone to buy groceries. Along the way, everyday encounters turn into stressful obstacles, forcing her to confront the anxiety that makes even a short trip feel overwhelming.

The Lunch Buddy | Directors and Writers: Nicole Mata, Alexa Belliard, Dandri Carrasco | Producers: Dandri Carrasco, Suleika Dotel | Key Cast: Nicole Mata, Anabell Custodio, Jayden Camey Castro, Jeynelis Castillo, Jacob Segura, Ana Sophia, Emi Torres, Sebasthian, Issac Morillo | School: School of Mathematics, Science, & Technology through the Arts (I.S. 318) | Teacher: Dandri Carrasco
About: It follows a student who always searches for extra food at lunch — and how one small act of kindness can change everything. A reminder: you never know what someone is going through. Choose compassion.

In Your Shoes | Directors, Writers, Producers, and Editors: Zhengdi Li, Khrystyna Orletska | Key Cast: Shawn Bennett, Vinh Tan Nguyen, Arianna Cyrus, Rashaun Benloss, Kalina Bovell, Zhengdi Li | Cinematographer: Khrystyna Orletska | School: Midwood High School; Teacher: Henry Mei
About: After a group of students endured continuous bullying, one of them finally reaches their last straw and wishes his bully could know what it’s like to be in his shoes. The next morning, the bully wakes up in the body of the student and spends the day experiencing the life of his victim. After realizing his past mistakes, the bully was determined to make amends.

Bathroom Pass | Director: Elijah Singleton | Producers: Impriss Travis, Isaiah Rene, Nicholas Yates, Rahmeek Owens, Tyquan Mcdonald, Xavier Pertillar | Key Cast: Kanajah Corner, Christopher Canongo, Skylar Green, Starasia Smith, David Nelinson, Uli Guzman | School: East Brooklyn Community High School; Teacher: David Nelinson
About: When a high school student’s quick bathroom break spirals into an unexpected citywide adventure, tensions build back in the classroom as another student grows increasingly desperate for the missing bathroom pass.

How to Order From a Bodega | Directors: Helfry Flores, Jonathan Mnukhin, Prince Gonzalez, Deven Small | Writers: Helfry Flores, Jonathan Mnukhin, Prince Gonzalez, Deven Small | Producers: Jonathan Mnukhin, Prince Gonzalez | Key Cast: Helfry Flores | Editor: Jonathan Mnukhin | School: P138M @ Park West; Teacher: Sarah Cullen
About: Every New Yorker needs to know how to order a sandwich from a bodega. This short instructional film helps students build confidence navigating a bodega by walking them through the steps of ordering and paying for their food.

PSA - Parental Pressure | Director: Kimberly Perez Ramos; Producer: Gabriel Bosch | Key Cast: Stephanie Zou; School: Edward R. Murrow High School | Teacher: Ricardo Thompson
About: A PSA about parental pressure.

Why is it important to spread kindness? | Directors, Writers, and Producers: Shannon Davidson, Drew Carter, Bathsheba Genesis Cecil; Key Cast: Nasir Ewald, Kymani Job, Janelle Lauria, Stamatis Koliatsis, Jaelon Jackson, Santino Paredes | School: Martin Van Buren High School | Teacher: Stephanie Choriatis
About: Interviews asking students and teachers around school why it is important to spread kindness around the world.

I’m Not Hungry | Director, Writer, Producer, and Key Cast: Armani Z Lorenzo | School: NYC iSchool Manhattan; Teacher: Kate Coleridge
About: Portrays a realistic look at what living with an eating disorder can resemble in some cases, especially the constant battle against relapse. “Being clean” doesn’t always mean the absence of struggle. Like many forms of addiction, the disorder doesn’t simply disappear, it lingers in the background of thought, influencing daily life. The cycle continues through habits, impulses, and routines we may not recognize, shaping ourselves even when we aren’t fully conscious of it.

---