2025 TUHSD Film Festival
Tempe Union High School District is proud to celebrate our Film & TV program through our annual Film Festival. Film & TV students from Corona del Sol, Marcos de Niza, McClintock, Mountain Pointe, Tempe High and Desert Vista were tasked to create feature films. All submitted entries had to include several required elements, including pops, characters, and lines of dialogue. Students could create films on their own, or work in small teams.
Students were given a week from start to finish to complete their films for submission.
Required materials include:
Required Prop (A prop that must be visible at some point during the film):
- Mirror (or reflective surface)
Required Character (A character that must be mentioned by name at some point during the film):
- Parker the Analyst
Lines of Dialogue (Must be said aloud, or made completely visible during the film):
-
“Nothing says success like failing every step of the way”
-
“I really love when people say "no offense" because I'm totally not offended"
Films ranked in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for Best Picture, as well as in several other categories celebrating editing, scriptwriting, and best use of required materials.
The winners of the 2025 TUHSD Film Festival are:
- 1st Place: The Closers - CdS
- 2nd Place: Girl Conscious - MdN
- 3rd Place (TIE): Sorry (Not Sorry) - CdS | Waiting for a Sign - CdS
- Best Use of Character: Girl Conscious (MdN), Alexia LeSuer as Parker the Analyst
- Best Use of Prop: Girl Conscious - (MdN)
- Best Use of Required Dialogue: Sorry (Not Sorry) - (CdS)
- Best Screenplay: Girl Conscious - (MdN)
- Best Editing: The Closers - (CdS)
- Best Cinematography: The Closers - (CdS)
- Best Overall Performance: Sorry (Not Sorry) - (CdS): Colin Wiley as John | Colwyn Becker as Larry.
- Audience Favorite: The Closers (CdS)
- Thank you to our Film & TV teachers!
2025 TUHSD Film Festival Judges
- Sarah Happel Jackson - a Marcos de Niza High School alumna ('98) Sarah Happel Jackson is an executive producer with James Cordon's Fulwell 73 Production Company in Hollywood.
- Devon Jackson - founded and owns Trademark Talent, a talent management firm representing actors and writers throughout the entertainment industry. His clients have been leads in numerous TV series at every major network and streamer, appeared in Studio and critically acclaimed films, on Broadway, and in various other forms of entertainment.
- Cedric Owens - was born and raised in [South] Phoenix, Arizona, (the Valley). He is an Alumnus of Northern Arizona University, (NAU), majoring in Electronic Media & Film with a minor in Photography. During his time at NAU, Cedric was one of the first two students in the history of NAU to be nominated for an Emmy Award. Upon graduating from NAU, Cedric pursued a career in the production industry freelancing as a camera operator until 2014 when he accepted a position within the Creative Department at a highly regarded HBCU on the East Coast. During this time, Cedric earned 6 Emmy Awards and 13 Emmy nominations.
- Anthony Jannuzzi -
is an alumni
of Corona Del Sol High School.
He holds a BA in theater with
a concentration in design and
production from Arizona State
University and an MFA in theater
from University of California:
San Diego.Anthony has designed lighting for theater, architecture,
themed entertainment, museums, immersive
experiences, etc. and is currently a Senior Show Lighting
Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering.
2025 TUHSD Film Festival Winners
First Place Best Picture: The Closers - CdS
Second Place Best Picture: Girl Conscious - MdN
Third Place Best Picture (TIE): Sorry (Not Sorry) - CdS
Third Place Best Picture (TIE): Waiting for a Sign - CdS