When the students in the Dixie Hollins Graphic Arts Academy aren’t working in the classroom, they’re making their own films.
Those students recently saw their hard work recognized at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, where they got the star treatment at the awards ceremony.
Mikaela-Rose Piotrowski, Milan Patrick and Lyndsie Zimmerman produced a short film titled "Grief." The students placed third for the short film, beating out more than 1,000 others across the state.
"It's pretty amazing and it makes me feel good about my future," said Zimmerman, who edited and acted in the film.
As part of the film festival experience, the students dressed up and walked the red carpet.
"It was so fun," said Milan Patrick, who edited "Grief" and directed another film. "It was so fun to get dressed up and get interviewed."
But "Grief" wasn't the only film to get recognized at the festival. Three more films, including Angel Callahan's "Visitant," placed in the top ten.
“It was really exciting because you feel really important when you walk down the red carpet and you have all these cameras pointing at you and people clapping," Callahan said. "You feel like everything you've worked hard for, it's worth it."
The work is worth it for the students because all of the statewide attention is just the beginning. The film "Crescen-Don’t," which was directed by Patrick," is up for an award at Carnegie Hall.
“It’s really comforting to know that something I worked on, especially with friends, has made it this far," Patrick said.
With big wins already under their belts, the students are confident their hard work will continue to pay off and one day end up on the big screen.