Honorees included Heidi Dorris (Hit the Road Jack), Emily Bell\u00a0 (Hit the Road Jack, Web of Chaos), Sami Curls (director, writer, cinematographer, editor of Web of Chaos & (plus acting in) Hit the Road Jack), Yan Ling Wu (Hit the Road Jack) and Taliyah Duprea (Hit the Road Jack). PROVIDED<\/p>\n
North Fort Myers High School\u2019s Sami Curls earned three honors at the recent 2026 Lee County Student Film and Television Awards.<\/p>\n
There were more than 150 entries submitted by hundreds of students from 24 schools. <\/p>\n
Curls took wins for \u201cOperation Over-Easy\u201d for promo video; \u201cHit the Road Jack\u201d for short-film; and \u201cWeb of Chaos\u201d for comedy.<\/p>\n
Curls said her parents, who work in Lee County, told her about the awards in 2024, which is when she submitted her first video.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been submitting videos every year. This is my third time winning the short-film category,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Curls won two awards her sophomore year \u2014 9-12 short film and Best in Show and her junior year she won 9-12 short film.<\/p>\n
As a senior, she began applying for college with one of the requirements being to write a screen play. The prompt turned into a two-page screenplay.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to turn it into something real. I had a set idea for the bedroom I wanted it to be shot in and my friend, Emily Bell, also a senior, had the perfect bedroom and she is also in theater,\u201d Curls said. \u201cWe had two days of filming. I was the director, writer, cinematographer, and editor. Emily was my amazing actress.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWeb of Chaos\u201d is a short comedy video about a girl who wants to spend a cozy night reading and finds a spider in her room and tries to eliminate it at all costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was at the awards ceremony, and it was great to create something my senior year and bond with my friend,\u201d Curls said.<\/p>\n
Her promo video \u2013 \u201cOperation Over Easy\u201d is a movie trailer about two agents that have to protect Alexandra Dumpty, the egg daughter of the late Humpty Dumpty. Curls said she was inspired by her physics class egg drop project \u2013 protecting the egg with stuff so it does not break.<\/p>\n
After doing the project \u2013 she thought \u201cI can turn this into a movie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI started writing and put egg puns in the script,\u201d Curls said.<\/p>\n
In this movie, she was also the director, writer cinematographer, and actor. Her friends Nicole Kasten and Karina Vega played roles in the video as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was the FBI boss lady,\u201d Curls said.<\/p>\n
The short-film was \u201cHit the Road Jack,\u201d one that she has been \u201ccooking up for maybe nine months.\u201d She said her grandfather taught her how to play poker, something she wanted to turn into something cool, as she has a love and interest for the game, skill and strategy involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to make this intense poker video. For that one I had five of my friends act including myself,\u201d Curls said. \u201cWe had three different film days. It was super fun. I got to teach them how to play poker. My grandpa passed away earlier this year and never got to see this finished product. I connected with friends by doing something grandpa taught me.\u201d<\/p>\n
After graduating from North Fort Myers High School this month with a 5.54 grade point average, she will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology (aka Georgia Tech) in the fall for an arts, entertainment, and creative technology major. This route will help Curls learn about such skills as postproduction, and editing \u2014 the computer part of film making.<\/p>\n
She is excited, as the fall class will be the first pursuing this degree. Curls said she enjoys building the scenes and putting them together for the viewers to enjoy. She said she also likes the directing aspect as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI a pretty good with my friends that aren\u2019t actors. I explain what they do and why they are doing it \u2013 what emotions I want the viewers to experience in the scene,\u201d she said. \u201cI really love making videos.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were 13 categories across divisions for elementary, middle, and high school, as well as Best in Show for each division and a Lee Schools TV Choice Award presented to one entry.<\/p>\n
The Best in Show for elementary school was News Show by Tortuga Preserve Elementary School, \u201cKung Fu Fighting\u201d from Cypress Lake Middle School\u2019s music video and \u201cDigital Danger Protocol\u201d public service announcement from Dunbar High School.<\/p>\n
The short film Lee Schools TV Choice Award went to Gateway High School for \u201cClue-Less.\u201d<\/p>\n
The winners for each category include:<\/p>\n
Elementary<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cDoodle Island\u201d Tortuga Preserve Elementary for animation<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cHow to Make Shepard\u2019s Pie\u201d The Sanibel School for instructional video<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cOsiris Foster\u201d Sunshine Elementary for music video<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Tortuga Preserve Elementary for News Show<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cYou Should Visit Bailey\u2019s on Sanibel\u201d The Sanibel School for PSA\/PROMO<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Middle School<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cPrime Talk\u201d Oak Hammock Middle School for animation<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cTest of Time\u201d Oak Hammock Middle School for comedy<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cInside the Ensemble\u201d Oak Hammock Middle for documentary<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cChocolate Peanut Butter Cake\u201d Oak Hammock Middle for instructional video<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cKung Fu Fighting\u201d Cypress lake Middle for music video<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Lexington Middle for News Show<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cScreen Zombiez\u201d for Promo for video<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cIn the Shadows\u201d Oak Hammock Middle for PSA<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t Fall for Fentanyl\u201d Oak Hammock Middle for Norm Project PSA<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cAll-Star\u201d Oak Hammock Middle for Short-Film<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
High School<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cIt Speaks for Itself\u201d Riverdale High for animation<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cWeb of Chaos\u201d North Fort Myers High for comedy<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cWings Up: An FGCU Documentary?\u201d Bonita Springs High for documentary<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cHow to Pretend You Understand the Lesson\u201d Fort Myers High for instructional video<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cMan or Muppet, North Fort Myers High for music video<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cCenter Stage: BSHS Students Shine at Dance Academy\u201d Bonita Springs High for news package<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Bonita Spring High for News Show<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 AJ Leuzzi Bonita Springs High for on-camera talent<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cOperation: Over-Easy\u201d North Fort Myers High for promo video<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cMore Than You Imagine\u201d Cypress Lake High for norm project PSA<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cHit the Road Jack\u201d North Fort Myers High for short film<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cBBN News Front Row Intro\u201d Bonita Springs High for sports<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 \u201cDigital Danger Protocol\u201d Dunbar High for PSA<\/p>\n
The red-carpet ceremony was held April 28 at South Fort Myers High School. <\/p>\n
The event was made possible through a Suncoast Credit Union grant. <\/p>\n
To view Curls\u2019 videos, visit samicurls.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n