StudentFilmmakers - Film and Video Makers Community and Filmmaker Network, Cinematography, Screenwriting, Video Making and Editing

Six Metro Detroit high school students have been recognized for their filmmaking including two Royal Oak High School students who received awards for their documentaries in the 21st annual C-SPAN StudentCam Documentary Competition. This year's theme was “Your Message to the President: What issue is most important to you or your community?” The competition included 1,700 submissions from 3,500 students. Ani Ceccacci, a Royal Oak High senior, won second place in the Central Division with the documentary "Gender-Affirming Care: It Saves More Lives Than You Would Think." Ceccacci also won the National Fan Favorite Award, which Ceccacci's teacher called "a testament to the powerful message and widespread support of the work." The award was based on verified votes recorded during a nationwide week-long period. The film explores the backlash from President Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans against gender-affirming care, which provides medical care such as hormone-related treatments that delay puberty or promote development of masculine or feminine sex characteristics for students seeking to change their what they refer to as gender assigned at birth. Lawmakers in 15 states have either passed laws or are considering approving legislation to ban certain procedures that they view as medically sound or child abuse, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Ceccacci's documentary makes the case through interviews with advocates that gender-affirming care saves lives. The AAMC says gender-affirming care can range from counseling to surgery. But the AAMC says "Surgery, including to reduce a person’s Adam’s Apple, or to align their chest or genitalia with their gender identity, is rarely provided to people under 18." Ceccacci's documentary will air on CSPAN at 6:50 a.m. April 11 and throughout the day. His second-place win comes with $1,500 in prize money, and the national fan favorite win awards $500. Wyatt Martin, a Royal Oak high school senior, earned third place in the Central Division for "Saving The Workforce’s Backbone," a documentary on the importance of career and technical education. The documentary explored the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education and what that would mean to career and technical education funding. Martin, 17, will receive $750 in prize money. Ceccacci and Martin worked on their documentaries for three months and made sure they were solid and compelling before submitting them to the competition, said Mike Conrad, a Royal Oak high school film teacher. In Ceccacci's documentary, it also was personal, Conrad said. "The amount of research and planning they put in really paid off," said Conrad. "I was surprised but not surprised. I was proud of their work and knew that it would resonate." The students dug deep into the theme of the competition and submitted them on Election Day, Conrad said. "They knew based on all the digging what was on the horizon, and now we are here today and these projects are incredibly topical," he said. Local students also were awarded honorable mentions. Levi Citron and Eleanor Dewald, students at International Academy OKMA in Bloomfield Township, are honorable mention prize winners and will receive $250 for the video “Healthcare Not Wealthcare,” about anti-trust and private equity in hospitals. Otto Massie, Kerith Short and Anna Gray, students at University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe Woods, are honorable mention prize winners and will receive $250 for the video, “The State of Social Security in the U.S.” The 150 winning videos can be viewed at studentcam.org. C-SPAN’s Director of Education Relations Craig McAndrew congratulated the winners. "Through in-depth research and interviews with an array of topical and technical experts, you have crafted impactful short stories that capture issues of wide public interest and importance,” McAndrew said in a press statement. “Your documentaries set a very high bar for future StudentCam filmmakers, and you should be proud knowing your work will inspire your peers and foster thoughtful consideration from all audiences. We can’t wait to see what you do next!” kkozlowski@detroitnews.com This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Two Royal Oak students win C-SPAN documentary awards

HelloNation has announced the winners of its 2026 Student Video Scholarship Contest, granting $23,500 in scholarships to talented student filmmakers across the nation.

Five4Five Productions and Inwood Art Works will host the 7th Annual Five4Five Youth Film Festival at Columbia University, highlighting student filmmaking, artistic growth, and community engagement.