CFISD Students Place at UIL Young Filmmakers Festival Â
Ten CFISD students from four high schools placed in the top three at the 2023 University Interscholastic League (UIL) Young Filmmakers Festival, marking the first time in CFISD history that multiple participants earned top honors in the competition.
Students could enter their work in four different categories, including narrative, documentary, digital animation and traditional animation. More than 700 entries were submitted for this year’s competition.
Cypress Ranch High School senior Thomas Boyce III placed second in Class 6A narrative for his short film titled “Untitled.” In addition, Boyce’s work won the Class 6A The Nobelity Project, which honors short films that inform and inspire audiences about issues creators care about. The award comes with a $1,000 donation for the purchase of film equipment.
“Thomas wrote, directed, edited, acted and produced his film,” said Cheryl Bradford, Cypress Ranch head theatre director. “Thomas is no stranger to film, as he has been behind and in front of the camera since he was a young child. Thomas is also no stranger to the stage. He is currently in the Cypress Ranch production of Macbeth playing the lead role. Thomas is a joy to work with whether it be on a film set, theatre production or in the classroom. He is creative, has an incredible work ethic and takes the initiative. I have a strong feeling this will not be the last film we see from Thomas Boyce III. He has a bright career ahead and I can’t wait to see what is next!”
Cypress Creek High School sophomore Hadley Barcellona and juniors Eyliccia Perkins and Maileen Jarosz placed second in Class 6A documentary for their work titled “Aww CeCe.”
Cypress Creek High School junior Maileen Jarosz, left, junior Eyliccia Perkins, middle, and sophomore Hadley Barcellona, right, placed second in Class 6A documentary for their work titled “Aww CeCe” at the 2023 UIL Young Filmmakers Festival. 
Jersey Village High School senior Daniel Rodriguez, left, junior Beau Lewis, middle, and junior Trevor Breaux, right, placed second in Class 6A documentary for their work titled “Obstacles” at the 2023 UIL Young Filmmakers Festival. 
Cypress Woods High School seniors, from left, Cameron Wallace, Abby Hernandez, Nicole Guzman and Elise Marosek placed third in Class 6A digital animation for their work titled “Dinner for Two” at the 2023 UIL Young Filmmakers Festival. Two other documentaries from Cypress Creek and Jersey Village titled “Arturo” and “Roots,” respectively, were named finalists in the competition.
“It’s a true testament to the strong curriculum and support we have in CFISD that we had three audio, visual and production (AVP) programs place at the UIL Young Filmmakers Festival,” said Vanessa Koch, AVP curriculum coordinator. “I’m so proud of the teachers and students for always pushing themselves and bringing out the best in AVP.”
Source: Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
