Last month, the Education Technology Department celebrated the winners of the 2026 SAISD Film Festival, the seventh annual student film competition in San Antonio ISD.
“The SAISD Student Film Festival gives students a powerful platform to share their stories, creativity, and voices through film,” said Celeste Cadena, coordinator in the Educational Technology and Design department. “By participating, students build critical skills in storytelling, collaboration, and digital media while seeing their work celebrated alongside peers from across the district.”
The festival empowers students to express ideas that matter to them, boosts their confidence, and shows them that their perspectives belong on the big screen—making learning authentic, engaging, and impactful.
“It was a good experience, and I had a lot of fun doing it," said Ilyana from Brackenridge High School. “I can't wait to make a film for next year.”
This year, there were 77 submissions from students at 13 campuses ages kindergarten to 12th grade. All students that submitted an approved film received certificates and pins, category winners received a trophy at the festival, and the grand prize winners each received a $1,000 check from the SAISD Foundation for their campuses to use to continue their filmmaking efforts.
At the culminating event at Edison High School, the category winning films were shown in full in the auditorium. In the screening room, all approved submissions were showcased on six SMART boards, where Ed Tech Specialists assisted families and friends in selecting and viewing specific films.
The grand prize winner for elementary was "Small Rules for a Big School," sponsored by Ms. de las Heras at Irving Dual Language Academy. The grand prize winner for middle school was "The Greatest Treasure," sponsored by Ms. Tuxhorn at Young Women's Leadership Academy. The grand prize winner for high school was "I'll Miss You," sponsored by Mr. Hernandez at Brackenridge High School.
A full list of winners follows:
Elementary PSA - Small Rules for a Big School (Irving Dual Language - Sponsored by Ms. de las Heras)
Elementary Story Creation - Tori and Harry (Bonham Academy - Sponsored by Ms. Dana)
Middle School PSA - I Cry Everyday (Young Women's Leadership Academy - Sponsored by Ms. Volpert)
Middle School Fiction Short Film - The Greatest Treasure (Young Women's Leadership Academy - Sponsored by Ms. Tuxhorn)
High School PSA - Don't Be Scared (Brackenridge High School - Sponsored by Mr. Duncan)
High School Fiction Short Film - I'll Miss You (Brackenridge High School -Sponsored by Mr. Hernandez)
High School Documentary - Jack of All Trades but the Master of None (Young Women's Leadership Academy - Sponsored by Mr. Chavez)
El concurso anual reúne casi 80 cortometrajes
El mes pasado, el Departamento de Tecnología Educativa celebró a los ganadores del Festival de Cine SAISD 2026, la séptima competencia anual de cine estudiantil en San Antonio ISD.
“El Festival de Cine Estudiantil SAISD ofrece a los estudiantes una poderosa plataforma para compartir sus historias, creatividad y voces a través del cine”, dijo Celeste Cadena, coordinadora del departamento de Tecnología Educativa y Diseño. “Al participar, los estudiantes desarrollan habilidades críticas en la narración de historias, la colaboración y los medios digitales mientras ven su trabajo celebrado junto a sus compañeros de todo el distrito”.
El festival empodera a los estudiantes a expresar ideas que les importan, aumenta su confianza y les muestra que sus perspectivas pertenecen a la gran pantalla, haciendo que el aprendizaje sea auténtico, atractivo e impactante.
“Fue una buena experiencia, y me divertí mucho haciéndolo”, dijo Ilyana de Brackenridge High School. “No puedo esperar para hacer una película para el próximo año”.
Este año, hubo 77 presentaciones de estudiantes en 13 campus desde el kindergarten hasta el 12º grado. Todos los estudiantes que presentaron una película recibieron certificados y distintivos, los ganadores de las categorías recibieron un trofeo en el festival y los ganadores del gran premio recibieron cada uno un cheque de $1,000 de la Fundación SAISD para que sus campus utilicen el dinero para continuar con sus esfuerzos cinematográficos.
En el evento culminante celebrado en Edison High School, se proyectaron en su totalidad en el auditorio las películas ganadoras de cada categoría. En la sala de proyección, todas las presentaciones aprobadas se mostraron en seis pantallas interactivas, donde los especialistas de Ed Tech ayudaron a familias y amigos a seleccionar y ver películas específicas.
El ganador del gran premio de primaria fue "Pequeñas Reglas para una Escuela Grande", patrocinado por la Sra. De las Heras en Irving Dual Language Academy. El ganador del gran premio para la escuela intermedia fue "El tesoro más grande", patrocinado por la Sra. Tuxhorn en Young Women's Leadership Academy. El ganador del gran premio para la preparatoria fue "Te extrañaré", patrocinado por el Sr. Hernández en Brackenridge High School.
Felicitaciones a todos los finalistas y ganadores de 2026:
Elementary PSA - Small Rules for a Big School (Irving Dual Language - Sponsored by Ms. de las Heras)
Elementary Story Creation - Tori and Harry (Bonham Academy - Sponsored by Ms. Dana)
Middle School PSA - I Cry Everyday (Young Women's Leadership Academy - Sponsored by Ms. Volpert)
Middle School Fiction Short Film - The Greatest Treasure (Young Women's Leadership Academy - Sponsored by Ms. Tuxhorn)
High School PSA - Don't Be Scared (Brackenridge High School - Sponsored by Mr. Duncan)
High School Fiction Short Film - I'll Miss You (Brackenridge High School -Sponsored by Mr. Hernandez)
High School Documentary - Jack of All Trades but the Master of None (Young Women's Leadership Academy - Sponsored by Mr. Chavez)