Pacific South District holds Month of the Military Child Film Festival
OKINAWA – The Pacific South District held its first Month of the Military Child Film Festival for middle and high school students enrolled in video communications courses on Monday, April 28, 2025.
The event featured an encouraging message from a former military-connected child and current screenwriter, Diamond Benjamin, as well as numerous educational and informational sessions that allowed attendees to learn about video equipment such as the Osmo Pocket 3 and 360 Degree Camera, Roland video switchers, and motorized sliders. Other sessions featured subject matter experts from AFN, who showed students how to create a news package, and 18th Wing Public Affairs, which led an interactive session on the mission of the 18th Wing Public Affairs Office.
Students also submitted their own work to the Film Festival in five categories: News Story, PSA, Short Film, Animation, and Introduction Video. A panel of judges reviewed each submission using a rubric to score each piece.
“As DoDEA educator, we constantly reflect on the essential question: What do we want our students to learn,” said Ms. Karrell Darden, Pacific South District Instructional Systems Specialist for Career Technical Education. “With CTE courses, many of the skills we aim to impart require hands-on experiences. Students are assessed not only by observing their work but by actively engaging in it. This Month of the Military Child Film Festival provided students with the opportunity to demonstrate their learning and put their skills into practice.”
Film Festival award winners are as follows:
News Story
1st: Kadena Middle School, MOMC Helicopter Landing
2nd: Kadena Middle School, Hidden Heroes, Military Children
3rd: Lester Middle School, Running in the Hallway
PSA
1st: Kadena Middle School, Purple Up for Military Kids
2nd: Kubasaki High School, Life of a Military Child
3rd: Kubasaki High School, Military Child
Short Film
1st: Kadena High School, VBlog from a far
2nd: Kubasaki High School, Again?
3rd: Kubasaki High School, Echoes of a colorful friendship
Animation
1st: Lester Middle School, Two Faces
Intro Video
1st: Kadena High School, Purple Up
