Lights, camera, action
The Ocala Film Derby brought teams of student movie makers to downtown Ocala.
Laurie Zink celebrates with winners as they take the stage during the Ocala Film Derby Screening and Awards at the Marion Theatre in Ocala, Fla. on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2025.
The Ocala Film Derby helps foster creativity, collaboration and artistic expression through filmmaking. The event brings together teachers, mentors, producers, organizers and sponsors, and culminates with an awards celebration at the historic Marion Theatre in downtown Ocala.
This year’s event took place from Sept. 24 to 28 and included eight student teams from local middle and high schools. It included workshops, special presentations and a full day of filming at locations in downtown Ocala. During the final event on Sunday, the teams got to see their films on the big screen and several students were presented with scholarships.
This year’s special guests, according to the OFD website, included Kevin J. O’Neill, an award-winning film director, screenwriter and producer; Nola D. Oracl, a multi-award-winning filmmaker, author, military veteran and business consultant; Sage Love, an award-winning, cultural filmmaker, entrepreneur, cinematographer and photographer; R.J. Jenkins, an educator, speaker and community advocate; and Greg Thompson, an award-winning film and theatre artist and executive and artistic director at the Ocala Civic Theatre.
Event mentors included Brody Barcode, Tommy Cuevas, Eddie Dixon, Meagan Gumpert, Dave Miller, Maxwell Minet and Andrew Opitz. Workshop leaders included Mark Emery, Micki Rio, Sean Kinchlow, Noah Paradiso, Frank Gallaher and Faustin Gallegos.
The 2025 Ocala Film Derby winners are:
Judges Choice winner, “A Stroke of Luck,” Cinema Chefs
Audience Choice winner, “Out of Line,” Big Burgers
Best Use of Prop, “Through the Umbrella,” The 8 Studded Stars
Best Use of Character and Best Use of Landmark, “Under the Umbrella,” Curious Apez
Best Use of Dialogue, “Art of Love,” Rad Action
The scholarship winners are:
$1,500 – Wise Guys Pizzeria, Isaac Chirichella, Dunnellon High School
$1,500 – Wilmek Construction, Rodrigo Escamilla, Vanguard High School
$1,500 – Florida Natural Beef, Mario Durant, Vanguard High School
$1,500 – All About You Realty, Marcus Von Rosenberg, Forest High School
$1,500 – Tom Ingram in honor of Wayne McCall, Hailey Taylor, Belleview High School
$3,000 – Ocala Film Derby Scholarship Fund (Duke Energy and Richmond Hill Capital), Luis Semidel-Lossada, Forest High School
$5, 000 – Friend of Film, Kelvin Rivera Cruz, Forest High School
“This year’s film derby was inspiring and life-changing for many of our students, or so they told me,” said Laurie Zink, derby chair. “But I was the one inspired by their creativity, talent and courage to participate. Building a film in nine hours is no easy feat and I am so very proud of all of them. Everyone is a winner at the Ocala Film Derby.”
To learn more, go to ocalafilmderby.org
Support community journalism
The first goal of the Ocala Gazette is to deliver trustworthy local journalism so corruption, misinformation and abuse are not hidden from the public or unchallenged.
