Asbury University’s campus came alive on April 18, as students, faculty, and guests gathered in Hughes Auditorium for the 22nd annual Highbridge Film Festival showcase, a celebration of student creativity and storytelling through film.
This Asbury event featured a screening of the official film selections, chosen from dozens of student submissions across high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels.
A panel of Asbury’s media faculty curated the official selections, 11 finalists, which were judged by industry professionals in categories including best actor, cinematography, editing, sound design, and more.
The main purpose of Highbridge is to showcase student storytelling. You don’t get to your destination as a filmmaker until someone experiences your story.”
Behind the scenes, the Asbury festival was produced entirely by students in the School of Communication Arts’ Special Events class, which functions like a creative agency with teams responsible for public relations, design, live broadcast and more.
This year’s judges included storyboard artist and 2nd unit director David Negron Jr. (National Lampoon Christmas Vacation, National Treasure), actor-producer Michelle Jubilee Gonzales (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Christmas North of Nashville) and screenwriter-producer James Krieg (What’s New, Scooby Doo?, Spooksville). Judges also hosted seminars and panels on Friday, offering students insight into the entertainment industry and opportunities for one-on-one conversations.
“It’s a great night out as an Asbury community,” Wold said. “It’s one way to see all the creativity and artistry that goes into these student productions.”
2026 Highbridge Film Festival Winners:
Learn more and rewatch the 2026 Highbridge Film Festival here.
*The Best High School Film is awarded a $1000 scholarship to Asbury University.
The Asbury University School of Communication Arts offers Traditional Undergraduate programs in Communication, Media Communication, Multimedia Journalism, and Theatre and an Online Multimedia Design degree. Graduate programs include the M.A. in Communication; M.A. in Digital Storytelling; M.A. in Instructional Design, Innovation & Leadership; MFA in Film/TV Production; and MFA in Screenwriting.