Since our inception in 2012, the Watsonville Film Festival has celebrated local stories and supported our young filmmakers by offering spaces to screen thier films. In 2020, we took this commitment a step further by creating an Annual WFF Student Scholarship Award. The $500 award goes to a local student who has a track record of producing quality films in high school and plans to study filmmaking in college.
2023 WFF Student Scholarship Recipient:
Azucena Nieto received the Watsonville Film Festival 2023 Student Scholarship Award. She is a first-generation Mexican-American filmmaker from Watsonville, California. She graduated from Watsonville High and attended the Video Academy. She currently attends San Jose State. In her own words: "In 2023, she became part of the Watsonville Film Festival community after her short "Empalagosa" ("Cloying") was accepted. This acceptance changed her future trajectory in filmmaking and gave her strength and a space to continue learning filmmaking. Her experiences with WFF continue to fortify her immense love and passion for the art of filmmaking.” We can't wait to see Azucena’s next projects!
2022 WFF Student Scholarship Recipient: Santiago Meza. The WFF Programming Team was very impressed with Santiago's short films that were screened during our 2022 Annual Festival. Santiago just graduated from Harbor High School in Santa Cruz, and is on his way to study film at Santa Monica City College. We look forward to following Santiago's filmmaking journey!
2021 WFF Scholarship Recipient: Angie Rockey
Angie’s short “Alone” blew us away when she submitted it to the WFF Student Film Showcase in 2020. She directed, edited and acted in it by herself during the early months of the pandemic. We immediatly noted a young talent in the making. Angie graduaded from the Watsonville High Video Academy and is currently in USC’s Cinematic Arts program. She is also currently a WFF Cine Se Puede Fellow, our program for supporting new filmmakers.
2020 WFF Scholarship Recipient: Diego Lopez
We are excited to announce that Diego Lopez is the first recipient of the Annual WFF Student Scholarship Award, in the amount of $500. Diego has been a “Super Volunteer” with the festival since 2016, and is now a member of our Programming Team. He was a graduate of the Watsonville High Video Academy and member of the Digital NEST Video Production programs, writing scripts and directing short films. Diego is attending Cabrillo College and plans to transfer to UCLA's School of Theater, Film & Television. ¡Felicidades Diego! We're looking forward to seeing your future work!