Highbridge Film Festival Celebrates 20 Years

April 18, 2024

The Highbridge Film Festival celebrated its 20^th anniversary in April with Tyler Chong ’24 taking seven category awards. Hosted by Asbury’s School of Communication Arts to showcase student films and encourage visual storytelling, the festival selected hand-selected films for viewing in Hughes Auditorium. This year’s judges from the film and TV industry included Christine Swanson (director, producer, and screenwriter), Matt Giblin (cinematographer, technology director, and producer), and Katie Hooten (studio executive and producer).

“I’m very grateful that the narratives I chose to pour time and effort into managed to connect with a lot of people,” Chong said. “I’m honored to be part of Highbridge history and hope to collaborate with other filmmakers on campus and make art that means something to people!”

This year’s Highbridge Film Festival awards and winners included:

Best High School Film: “Gone Viral”
Jed Davis, Lexington Christian Academy

Best Costume, Hair and Makeup: “Love at First Sight”
Sam Santrock ’25

Best Production Design: “Mount Olympus: Gas and Deli”
Carson Sams ’24 and Summer Hollis ’26

Best Sound Design: “Voices She Sees”
Carmen Clemente ’24 and Aiden Chase Gaither ’25

Best Original Score: “Plant Mom”
Lilianna Fischer ’24

Best Visual Effects: “Buddy”
Ian Wang ’24

Best Cinematography: “Buddy”
Tyler Chong ’24

Best Editing: “Racing the Empire”
Tyler Chong ’24

Best Documentary: “Racing the Empire”
Tyler Chong ’24

Best Screenplay: “The LABtoB”
Tyler Chong ’24

Best Actor: “The LABtoB”
TJ Lau and Taegan Lau

Best Actress: “Once Upon a Goodbye and Plant Mom”
Emmy Cummings ’26

Best Director: “The LABtoB”
Tyler Chong ’24

Best Comedy: “The LABtoB”
Prod. Tyler Chong ’24

Best Drama: “Plant Mom”
Prod. Canaan Yan ’25

Servant Leader Crew Award: Nominated by Carmen Clemente and Ian Wang
Kayden Purvis ’24

Audience Choice Award: “Love at First Sight”
Sam Santrock ’25

“I feel blessed and incredibly overwhelmed by the love and support of my crew, family and friends who have believed in my vision from the very beginning and saw it to completion,” Santrock said. “There is something sincerely special about getting to show a year’s worth of work to an audience full of the people who made it happen. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to follow my dreams surrounded by the best group of people I know!”

The Highbridge Film Festival exists to inspire, promote and support creative storytelling for young people around the world. Held annually in the spring at Asbury University, the Highbridge Film Festival is a showcase of student films that has become one of the top cultural events in Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region. This event seeks to celebrate achievements in the visual arts by the students and is the premier event at Asbury University as a part of the Engaging Culture Weekend. Learn more.