FSUFilm Alum Wins ‘Best Animated Film’ at San Diego Comic-Con Film Festival
Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts alumna Sommar Boulware (BFA ’25) brought the festival run of her animated short Franken Struck to a winning close, taking home Best Animated Film at Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival in San Diego.
Franken Struck was directed by Sommar and served as her senior Capstone project. Inspired by Frankenstein’s monster, the protagonist Jesse sets out on a quest for revenge after his bride is ripped away from him.
FSU’s College of Motion Picture Arts pays the foundational production costs of student films and provides students a budget for festival submission fees. Sommar’s festival strategy for Franken Struck targeted genre festivals and comic book conventions. During this run, the film won Best Animated Short at the 2025 ScreamFest Horror Film Festival, Best Animated Film at the 2025 Spooky Empire Film Festival, Best in Show at 2026 Pensacon Film Festival, and finally Best Animated Film at 2026 Comic-Con International Film Festival in San Diego.
The win was a full-circle celebration for Sommar. She says, “From watching Comic-Con panels on YouTube as a kid, dreaming to one day be able to go, to then getting to go with my friends as a panelist, to then not only getting to screen my own work, but winning best animated film? To say this is a surreal dream come true would be an understatement.”
Sommar, a Tallahassee local, grew up near Florida State University, raised by her proud FSU alumni parents. She grew up loving to draw and initially thought she might pursue architecture. That all changed when she saw Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and fell in love with 3D animation. Of course, the elements of comfort, cost, and proximity to familial support played a role in her decision to study at FSU. Though the biggest factor was a connection with FSUFilm Animator in Residence, Ken Robkin. Sommar says, “He was able to guide me through the application process, and I was really excited to be able to learn from him.”
“Sommar was the potential you dream of having the opportunity to work with as a teacher, and I am thrilled beyond words at how much better she is than I was at her age and how much of an incredible force she will become.” Ken states, “Sommar will be one of the greatest names in our industry, and I’m thrilled to be even a small part of her legacy.”
During her time in the Animation and Digital Arts Program, Sommar was able to learn the foundations of storytelling, and was provided the creative freedom to tell her own. She discovered techniques in 3D animation, how to take a production from an idea to a fully animated short film, and the most worthwhile part of it all, “learning with my peers how to collaborate with others and actually make something.”
Also included on the panel at Comic-Con San Diego were FSUFilm alums Katie Limentato, the rigging artist on the film, and Tsar Valenzuela, the concept artist of Franken Struck.
On top of the festival success, the film was also chosen as a semifinalist for the Student Academy Awards in 2025, a prestigious international student film awards program.
The FSU Animation and Digital Arts program, with its 5-1 Student-Faculty ratio, is designed to function like an indie studio. This facet of the program, in particular, helped prepare Sommar for the industry, “It was valuable to be in an indie studio-type space; that prepared me really well for when I graduated and started working in smaller studios with small teams. It’s kind of how the industry is right now.”
Since graduation, Sommar has relocated to Austin, TX and has been working on some exciting projects! She started CrashMachine Animation Studios, worked on Monster High, and has been working on projects with the video game Marvel Rivals.
Her advice to students looking towards a career in animation is, “Make the things you love, be consistent, never stop practicing, and you will succeed!”
To learn more about the Animation & Digital Arts BFA Program at FSUFilm visit film.fsu.edu/animation