VISALIA – Student filmmakers from across the Central Valley showcased their talents on the big screen, with Tulare County schools taking home multiple awards at Slick Rock Film Festival.
Of the 18 awards presented at the Slick Rock Student Film Festival on May 9, filmmakers from El Diamante, Monache and Redwood high schools won nine category awards, including the prestigious Best of Show award for high school.
Redwood High School in Visalia dominated the competition with six awards, including High School Best of Show for their film “The Orbit,” created by Jesus Rivera Lopez, Hannah Johnson, Lily Seargeant, Sef Feierbach and Omar Juarez Panama.Â
Clark Intermediate School in Clovis earned the Middle School Best of Show for “Captain Anti-Drugs,” created by Michael Walker. Overall, students from Fresno County claimed six category awards and the Best of Show Award for middle school, while Madera County and Kings County students each earned one category award. This year’s festival featured over 400 film submissions from 47 schools across the Central Valley.Â
The annual event showcases middle and high school filmmakers from Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties.
The complete list of this year’s Slick Rock winners includes:
- Best of Show – Middle School: “Captain Anti-Drugs,” Clark Intermediate School (Clovis)
- Best of Show – High School: “The Orbit,” Redwood High School (Visalia)
- Opioids/Fentanyl and Marijuana Prevention PSA: “Captain Anti-Drugs,” Clark Intermediate School (Clovis)
- Nutrition and Physical Activity PSA: “Health and Nutrition,” Reyburn Intermediate School (Clovis)
- Suicide Prevention PSA: “Help a Friend,” Monache High School (Porterville)
- Middle School General PSA: “Our Generation,” Hillside Elementary School (Madera)
- Middle School General Advertisement: “Longhorn Feed Commercial,” Fairmount K-8 School (Sanger)
- Middle School Documentary: “We Feed the World,” Fairmount K-8 School (Sanger)
- Middle School Blockbuster: “Mind Games,” Clark Intermediate School (Clovis)
- Sports Highlights: “Redwood Friday Night Lights,” Redwood High School (Visalia)
- News Broadcast: “Tony’s Strength,” Redwood High School (Visalia)
- High School Documentary: “Field Workers Fight,” El Diamante High School (Visalia)
- High School General PSA: “Visit Visalia PSA,” Redwood High School (Visalia)
- High School General Advertisement: “VTEC,” El Diamante High School (Visalia)
- Music Video – Original: “Melody Gone Wrong,” Redwood High School (Visalia)
- Music Video – Cover: “Lejos De Ti,” Central High School (Fresno)
- Animation: “Sleepless,” Hanford West High School
- High School Blockbuster: “The Orbit,” Redwood High School (Visalia)
The Slick Rock Student Film Festival was created in 2004 to improve student writing and storytelling skills. The Tulare County Office of Education (TCOE) has organized the festival since 2013, expanding it from Tulare County to include the entire Central Valley.
The festival engages students in a positive environment that teaches them skills to compete in a global economy while meeting California State Board of Education standards for film production.
Slick Rock is supported by the Tulare County Suicide Prevention Task Force, ABC30, EECU, Tulare County HHSA Mental Health – Alcohol & Other Drugs Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Services, TCOE’s Project AWARE, TCOE’s Planetarium and Science Center, TCOE’s Theatre Company and TCOE’s Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Program.
Winning films in all categories will be posted to tcoe.org/SlickRock by May 16.
