Full Sail University Sweeps the 2026 Coca-Cola Refreshing Films Program with Historic Wins in Student Filmmaking

Full Sail University achieved an unprecedented sweep at the 2026 Coca-Cola Refreshing Films program, capturing the highest honors across multiple competitive categories in the nationwide filmmaking contest. The university’s dominance was solidified when the graduate team’s short film, Behind the Screens, secured the prestigious Red Ribbon Panel Grand Prize Award, while the undergraduate student team’s production, What Makes Them Magic, was voted the Cinemark Fan Favorite by audiences nationwide. Adding to the institution’s accolades, Full Sail Lab instructor and Music Production graduate Kevin Kraus earned the Best Music Composition honor for his sonic work on Behind the Screens.

This clean sweep highlights not only the creative output of Full Sail’s student body and faculty, but also the effectiveness of the institution’s rigorous, industry-aligned training models. Out of a competitive pool of nationwide submissions, only three short films advanced to the final production round, with Full Sail teams claiming two of those coveted spots and turning them into award-winning cinematic showcases.

A Brief History and Evolution of Coca-Cola Refreshing Films

Established in 1998, the Coca-Cola Refreshing Films program has spent nearly three decades fostering emerging cinematic talent by bridging the gap between academia and the professional film industry. The nationwide initiative invites current students and recent graduates from participating film schools across the United States to submit original scripts. These screenplays must adhere to a specific thematic framework set by contest organizers, designed to highlight the integral role that Coca-Cola and the theatrical environment play in the modern moviegoing experience.

The competition operates in distinct phases, beginning with script submissions and narrowing down to a select group of finalists. Selected student teams are then given the unique opportunity to develop their screenplays into fully realized, professional-grade short films. Throughout production, participants receive invaluable mentorship, brand collaboration opportunities, and exposure to theatrical distribution—resources that are typically inaccessible to college-level filmmakers.

Over the years, the program has cultivated robust partnerships with major industry exhibition networks, including AMC Theatres, B&B Theatres, and Cinemark Theatres. These exhibitors provide essential support by offering filming locations, constructive script feedback, and eventual distribution in commercial theaters. Furthermore, technical titans such as RED and Nikon contribute professional-grade cinema cameras and lenses for both the primary units and behind-the-scenes documentation teams. In postproduction, CineVantage provides mentorship in music composition and sound design, while Company 3 delivers industry-standard color grading to ensure every film meets commercial theatrical specifications.

The Production Journey: Chronology and Collaboration

The road to the 2026 Coca-Cola Refreshing Films podium was marked by months of intensive collaboration, institutional backing, and adherence to rigorous industry workflows. For the competing Full Sail teams, the journey began with initial script drafting, followed by rigorous script revisions, brand approval processes, budgeting, insurance navigation, and professional casting sessions.

Once scripts were greenlit, the productions utilized state-of-the-art campus facilities. Both the undergraduate and graduate teams shot primary sequences inside Full Sail’s $3 million virtual production studio, Studio V1, demonstrating the practical application of cutting-edge LED volume technology in student filmmaking. Additional on-location filming took place at AMC Altamonte Springs and Cinemark Orlando and XD, directly leveraging the exhibition partnerships fostered by the Coca-Cola initiative.

A defining characteristic of both Full Sail productions was the high level of student integration. Across the two projects, approximately 80 to 90 percent of the respective crews consisted of current students and recent graduates. Underclassmen worked alongside faculty mentors and industry professionals in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, gaining real-world credits on nationally recognized branded content.

Undergraduate Triumph: What Makes Them Magic

Representing Full Sail’s undergraduate film program, writer-director Brandon Bishop and producer Christina Almuina crafted What Makes Them Magic, a narrative exploration of the profound emotional resonance of cinema. Set entirely within the atmospheric confines of a movie theater, the short film portrays diverse audience members experiencing life-altering epiphanies inspired by the silver screen. The narrative touches on relatable human milestones, depicting a father visualizing his daughter’s future wedding, a recent graduate channeling the resilience of a gladiator, and estranged friends mending their bonds through shared cinematic experiences.

Reflecting on the conceptual foundation of the film, Bishop emphasized the unique nature of the medium. "One of the only art forms that you go spend two hours in is a movie, and then you make a fundamental life change after that because you saw something that moved you," Bishop noted. "That’s really great, beautiful, and magical."

The production of What Makes Them Magic relied heavily on multidisciplinary collaboration within the university. Crew members were drawn primarily from Full Sail’s Film and Television degree programs, with specialized technical and artistic support provided by faculty and students across 3D arts, virtual production, and audio engineering departments. Following its theatrical rollout across partner theater chains and subsequent online viewing periods, the short film captured the imagination of the viewing public, earning the coveted Cinemark Fan Favorite award via nationwide audience voting.

Graduate Excellence: Behind the Screens

On the graduate side, writer-director Angel Quinapallo and producer Kylie Shouse delivered Behind the Screens, an ambitious, Americana-inspired exploration of the historical evolution of cinema. The narrative concept envisions a hidden, bustling ecosystem operating directly behind the movie screen, where the physical and conceptual history of filmmaking is preserved and brought to life by dedicated artisans.

The project’s scope was remarkably expansive, requiring the collaborative efforts of dozens of students, graduates, and faculty members. Among its standout achievements was the custom fabrication of a life-sized T-Rex tail and the creation of historically accurate costumes for dozens of background characters representing various eras of film history.

Describing the parallels between the narrative and the actual production process, Shouse noted, "This script just crackles with energy and captures the creativity and controlled chaos that happens behind the scenes when creating movie magic. It mirrors all the work that we as student filmmakers experience to create these 60 seconds of branded content."

Utilizing Full Sail’s Studio V1 for virtual production elements and Cinemark Orlando and XD for theatrical location sequences, the team executed a polished final product. The Red Ribbon Panel—comprising industry professionals, brand executives, and film critics—awarded Behind the Screens the program’s highest honor: the Red Ribbon Panel Grand Prize Award.

Musical Mastery: Recognizing Behind-the-Scenes Audio Excellence

The university’s sweep was cemented by Music Production graduate and Full Sail Lab instructor Kevin Kraus, who was awarded Best Music Composition for his intricate score accompanying Behind the Screens. Crafting music for a fast-paced, 60-second branded commercial requires a precise balance of emotional storytelling and strict timing constraints. Kraus’s composition successfully underscored the nostalgic and energetic tone of the graduate film.

"It’s incredibly gratifying to get an award for something that I’ve put so much time and work into," Kraus stated regarding the honor. "This whole project has been an absolute labor of love."

Industry Perspectives and Institutional Impact

Katie Pryor, Program Manager for Coca-Cola Refreshing Films, has overseen the initiative for nearly eight years and expressed profound admiration for Full Sail University’s infrastructure and faculty support systems. During her site visits and interactions with the student crews, Pryor highlighted the caliber of the university’s technical resources.

"I think the facilities here at Full Sail are really, really mind-blowing," Pryor observed. "The resources and opportunities that Full Sail provides to their students are phenomenal. This program is a great opportunity for students to get that branded filmmaking experience while they still have the safety net and the resources of the school."

Broader Implications for Film Education and Branded Content

The clean sweep by Full Sail University at the 2026 Coca-Cola Refreshing Films program underscores a broader shift in contemporary film education: the increasing necessity of integrating commercial workflows and emerging technologies directly into academic curricula. As the lines between traditional narrative filmmaking, virtual production, and branded entertainment continue to blur, initiatives like the Coca-Cola competition provide a vital pipeline for future industry professionals.

By navigating real-world constraints—such as brand compliance, tight deadlines, complex budgeting, and multi-departmental collaboration—students graduate with practical experience that extends far beyond theoretical classroom instruction. The success of What Makes Them Magic, Behind the Screens, and the accompanying musical composition demonstrates that academic institutions equipped with modern infrastructure can produce content that competes directly with commercial agency standards. For Full Sail University, this historic sweep serves as a definitive validation of its project-based learning model, setting a high benchmark for future cohorts participating in national brand partnerships.