(EL PASO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT – May 12, 2026) — Lights, cameras, and student creativity took center stage Saturday as El Paso ISD hosted its 18th Annual Student Digital Film Festival, transforming young storytellers into stars for a day of celebration, collaboration, and cinematic achievement.
Held May 9, the festival featured both elementary and secondary showcases and drew more than 600 students, families, staff members, and community supporters. This year’s event highlighted approximately 230 student-produced films, ranging from short narratives and documentaries to creative animations and digital storytelling projects.
But beyond the films themselves, the event became a true student-led production.
From the red-carpet experience to the awards ceremony, students played a leading role in nearly every aspect of the festival. Volunteers from Coronado High School helped run the event, while the JROTC Color Guard from Irvin High School assisted with the ceremony. Students served as masters of ceremonies, interviewers, photographers, performers, ushers, and red-carpet hosts, helping create a professional atmosphere that mirrored a real film premiere.
SEE MORE PHOTOS: EPISD Student Digital Film Festival
Many of the volunteers came from National Honor Society, Journalism, Photography, and Film Club programs, with several students returning for a second consecutive year to help support the event.
District organizers also partnered with local filmmakers, production companies, and community members from across Texas to judge the student entries, giving participants authentic feedback and real-world exposure to the film industry.
“The success of this year’s event would not have been possible without the creativity of the student filmmakers, cooperation of the student sponsors, hard work of the student volunteers, donated time of our community judges, and the dedicated work of my colleagues on the Instructional Technology Specialists team,” said Herman Seufert, coordinator of the 18th Annual EPISD Student Digital Film Festival. “It was a true collaborative effort to celebrate our students’ creativity and voice.”
The festival was organized and hosted by El Paso ISD’s Instructional Technology Specialists from the Teaching and Learning Department, whose goal was to provide students with a platform to showcase their talents while building confidence in digital media, storytelling, collaboration, and communication skills.
District leaders say the continued success of the Digital Film Festival reflects El Paso ISD’s commitment to creating innovative learning experiences that empower students to explore their creativity while preparing for future college and career opportunities.
All student films, along with recorded livestreams of the red-carpet and awards ceremonies, are available on the festival’s YouTube channel.