WATCH: Howell High School Students Win National Film Competition

A group of students from the Freehold Regional High School District have taken top honors in a film competition in New York City.

The All-American High School Film Invitational involved nine schools from around the country, including a group of students from the Fine and Performing Arts Academy at Howell High School. During a 10-week competition, the teams had to create a film inspired by a prompt, write an original script and then film their script over two days in New York City.

The invitational was a first-time event, part of the All-American High School Film Festival held last weekend at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn.

The Howell team’s film, “Daytime Summit,” was selected as the best, earning a $5,000 prize that will go to the Entertainment Technology program at the Fine and Performing Arts Academy, led by Scott Napolitano, the district said in a news release.

Senior Bernie Torres, who co-wrote the script with fellow seniors Max Amar and Zach Miller, directed “Daytime Summit.” Seniors Christopher Boncimino and Angelica Salvador oversaw the videography. “Daytime Summit” stars junior Olivia Hanewald and senior Zach Miller as two friends in the midst of growing apart at a crucial juncture in their respective lives. The production team also included seniors Elisabeth Palomba, Taylor Pietrangelo, Brooke Risley, Courtney Stearns and juniors Jaime Gonora, Eileen Reinknecht and Griffin Bowie, the district said.

The All-American High School Film team arranged for the teams to be able to film on location at Washington Square Park and Grand Central Terminal, in addition to any other city-based locations the schools secured.

With the assistance of graduates Steven Raia (class of 2013) and Mickey Mann (class of 2014), the Rebels wrapped their production with time to spare in a dramatic shoot at Grand Central during the evening rush. Two days later, the students were able to enjoy a screening of their work at the AMC 24 Theater on 42nd Street alongside their fellow Invitational colleagues, the district said.

“For the kids, it was all about the moment and what it means to their future. For me, it was all about thinking about the past four years and how I got there and the journey we all took to get to that stage,” Napolitano said. “It’s a very exciting time for ET Video. We’re growing by leaps and bounds every year and I’m so excited to see where we go in the days to come.”

“I’m so proud of these students and of Mr. Napolitano,” Howell High School Principal Jeremy Braverman said.

Also screening during the weekend were other films from Howell’s Entertainment Technology program, including “Forgotten: The Lost Planet” and “Dead Man’s Curve.”

“Forgotten,” an official selection at the 2015 New Jersey High School Film Challenge, was directed by Ken Dwyer
(class of 2015) and produced by McLaine White (class of 2015) and by seniors Tim Preston, Tyler Paladino and Monica Coluccio.

“Dead Man’s Curve,” inspired by stories published in Weird NJ Magazine, was another collaboration between director Chris Boncimino and star Zach Miller. It was produced by Angelica Salvador, senior Olivia Gallinaro, JT Pojero (class of 2015) and Michael Manzon (class of 2015), with performances by senior Paul Ternosky and senior Jake Sinsky.

“Forgotten” and “Dead Man’s Curve” and many other Howell films are available for viewing at www.vimeo.com/howellfpacvideo.

Daytime Summit from Howell FPAC Video Program on Vimeo.