Full Sail University Sweeps the 2026 Coca-Cola Refreshing Films Program with Historic Wins and Industry-Standard Collaboration

Full Sail University achieved a historic clean sweep at the 2026 Coca-Cola Refreshing Films program, capturing the highest honors across the nationwide student filmmaking competition. The university’s unprecedented dominance in this year’s contest culminated in a Red Ribbon Panel Grand Prize Award for the graduate team’s short film Behind the Screens, the Cinemark Fan Favorite title for the undergraduate team’s project What Makes Them Magic, and the Best Music Composition honor for Full Sail Lab instructor Kevin Kraus. This clean sweep highlights not only the creative talent cultivated within the institution’s Florida campus but also the practical efficacy of its hands-on, industry-aligned educational model.

The Coca-Cola Refreshing Films program, established in 1998, has evolved into one of the premier pipelines connecting emerging filmmakers to commercial entertainment ecosystems. Over nearly three decades, the initiative has invited current students and recent graduates from participating film schools across the United States to submit original scripts. These proposals must creatively integrate Coca-Cola into the cinematic experience while aligning with strict thematic guidelines provided by organizers. From a vast pool of nationwide applicants, only a select few advance to the production phase, where they are granted professional resources to bring their scripts to the screen.

The structural integrity and career-accelerating nature of the program rely heavily on strategic partnerships spanning the entertainment, exhibition, and technology sectors. Industry giants such as AMC Theatres, B&B Theatres, and Cinemark Theatres provide crucial physical locations for filming, comprehensive script feedback, and actual theatrical distribution—a milestone exceedingly rare for collegiate-level productions. Furthermore, technical titans RED and Nikon supply professional-grade cinema cameras and advanced glass optics for both the primary shooting units and the behind-the-scenes documentation crews. During post-production, specialized mentorship in music composition and sound design is facilitated by CineVantage, while high-end post-production house Company 3 oversees professional color grading to ensure every student project meets commercial broadcast standards.

Katie Pryor, Program Manager for Coca-Cola Refreshing Films, has spent nearly eight years overseeing the initiative and guiding cohorts through the rigorous production pipeline. Reflecting on the standard of work produced during the 2026 cycle, Pryor noted the exceptional caliber of Full Sail’s infrastructure and institutional backing. The facilities available to students on campus provide a unique competitive advantage, offering professional-grade environments that allow aspiring filmmakers to tackle complex branded content safely supported by faculty mentorship and institutional resources.

At the undergraduate level, student writer and director Brandon Bishop and producer Christina Almuina claimed the Cinemark Fan Favorite award for their emotionally resonant short film, What Makes Them Magic. The narrative explores the profound psychological and emotional impact of cinema, tracing how specific moments projected onto a silver screen can catalyze tangible real-life transformations. The plot weaves together diverse vignettes: a father visualizing his young daughter’s future wedding day, a recent graduate drawing inner strength from cinematic depictions of ancient gladiators, and estranged friends rediscovering their bond through the shared ritual of moviegoing.

Bishop noted that the unique ritual of spending two uninterrupted hours inside a dark theater often leads to permanent, positive shifts in personal perspective, an artistic phenomenon he sought to honor through the project. To bring this vision to life, Bishop and Almuina utilized Full Sail’s state-of-the-art $3 million virtual production facility, Studio V1, alongside location shooting at AMC Altamonte Springs facilitated by the competition’s exhibition partners. The crew was predominantly composed of undergraduate students from Full Sail’s Film and Television programs, bolstered by cross-disciplinary collaboration with faculty and peers specializing in 3D arts, virtual production, and audio engineering.

Simultaneously, the graduate student contingent secured the coveted Red Ribbon Panel Grand Prize Award with Behind the Screens. Written and directed by film graduate Angel Quinapallo and produced by fellow film graduate Kylie Shouse, the short film pays homage to the historical evolution of cinema through an Americana lens. The narrative centers on a whimsical, hidden realm operating directly behind the movie screen, where the personified history of filmmaking labors continuously to project magic out to the audience.

Shouse remarked that the script’s fast-paced energy effectively mirrors the controlled chaos and relentless dedication experienced by real-world student filmmakers racing against strict deadlines to deliver polished branded content. The ambitious scope of Behind the Screens required extensive practical effects work, including a custom-built T-Rex tail and dozens of meticulously designed period-accurate costumes representing various eras of cinema history. Production utilized both Studio V1’s advanced virtual production capabilities and physical locations at Cinemark Orlando and XD.

The university’s sweep was rounded out by Music Production graduate and Full Sail Lab instructor Kevin Kraus, who secured the Best Music Composition Award for his atmospheric and driving score accompanying Behind the Screens. Kraus emphasized the emotional weight of the recognition, describing the intensive compositional process as a genuine labor of love that demanded countless hours of refinement to match the visual complexity of the graduate team’s cinematic vision.

Beyond the trophies and accolades, the fundamental value of the Coca-Cola Refreshing Films program lies in its rigorous simulation of professional industry workflows. Across both winning productions, approximately 80 to 90 percent of the crew positions were filled by current Full Sail students and recent graduates. This setup allowed undergraduates to step directly into high-pressure, professional environments, managing real-world responsibilities ranging from complex budgeting, legal insurance acquisition, and talent casting to script revisions and strict corporate brand compliance approvals. By navigating these standard industry protocols before graduation, these students exit academia with practical, resume-building credits and a nuanced understanding of commercial filmmaking logistics.