Texas Border Business
PHARR, Texas – PSJA Southwest Early College High School’s Theatre Program has been crowned UIL 5A State Champions in Documentary at the highly competitive 2025 UIL State Film Festival, held February 26-27 at The University of Texas at Austin. Their award-winning film, Conquista, took the top honor in its category, marking another historic achievement for PSJA ISD. In addition to this state title, PSJA ISD students from both PSJA Southwest and PSJA North Early College High Schools dominated the competition, bringing home multiple top awards across documentary, animation, and narrative categories.
The UIL State Film Festival celebrates student filmmakers in categories such as documentary, animation, and narrative storytelling. Demonstrating excellence in storytelling and filmmaking, students from PSJA North Early College High School and PSJA Southwest Early College High School competed against the best in the state, earning the following awards:
| PSJA Southwest ECHS Theatre – 5A UIL State Champion Documentary “Conquista” |
| PSJA North ECHS Theatre – 2nd Place 5A UIL Traditional Animation “Sonata” |
| PSJA Southwest ECHS Theatre – 2nd Place 5A UIL Documentary “Johnny Joe” |
| PSJA North ECHS Theatre – 3rd Place 5A UIL Narrative “Echoes of Silence” |
| PSJA North ECHS Theatre – 4th Place 5A UIL Documentary “Silent Soldier” |
| PSJA Southwest ECHS Theatre – 5th Place 5A UIL Documentary “Sueños Olimpicos” |
The PSJA Southwest ECHS Theatre Program’s victory as the UIL 5A State Champions in Documentary marks an incredible achievement for the team, showcasing their dedication, storytelling skills, and technical expertise. Their winning documentary “Conquista” stood out among entries from across Texas, earning the highest honors and a place as one of the state’s best high school filmmaking programs.
“We are extremely proud of our students and directors for their hard work, creativity, and dedication to the arts,” said PSJA Fine Arts Director Jon Taylor. “The recognition at the state level demonstrates the incredible talent we have at PSJA ISD, as well as the dedication of our theater directors and educators.”
To learn more about the award-winning Fine Arts programs and the opportunities available to all PSJA ISD students, visit www.psjaisd.us/whypsja
