Peter Alexander's "The Centenarian" Wins At Hollywood Film Festival

Student filmmaker, Peter Alexander captured two awards in the Student Category on Sunday evening, February 11, at the Hollywood Film Festival. The 20-year-old Florida Gulf Coast University student earned a statuette for Best Director, and his film, "The Centenarian" took home the Best Picture prize. Alexander wrote, directed and edited the film.

The Hollywood Film Festival ran from Wednesday, February 7 through Sunday, February 11. The awards ceremony was held at Etaru Restaurant in Hallandale Beach.

A buzz around the Davie, Florida resident's movie began early as festival goers and fellow filmmakers complimented the film's story, pacing, acting, and technical achievement given its somewhat notable non-existent budget. "The Centenarian" was in competition with several other films that had either the backing of schools, private contributions, or public fundraising support. Alexander relied almost exclusively on the commitment of his cast and crew. "It was all sweat equity and passion on this one. When you have friends who really dig in, it makes the entire experience worthwhile,"Alexander said, adding with a smile, "Next time, a budget would be nice."

"The Centenarian" tells the story of a bounty hunter who is blackmailed into doing the dirty work of a shadow government agency which fears their deep dark secret may soon spiral out of control.

The film was shot in South Florida in multiple locations including Fort Lauderdale and South Beach.

Johnathan Bezianis, a festival Best Actor nominee, plays bounty hunter, James Dawson, who is given the unenviable task of tracking down and killing the clandestine organization's top man gone rogue, Sean Burningham, portrayed by Oscar Fuentes. Alexander's father, Tom, plays the sinister group's ghostly leader, the Shadow Man, and also scored the film. Tristan Millman and Joshua Adorno also play members of the covert group.

Alexander continues a more than century-long legacy connected to film. His great-grandfather, Thomas, emigrated to the United States from Greece near the turn of the 20^th Century building nickelodeons, then neighborhood theatres and movie palaces which he passed down to his sons. His grandsons continued in the business until 1988. After the theatres closed, Tom Alexander pursued film production and screenwriting as well as radio and music production. Now, Tom's son Peter keeps the tradition moving forward well into the 21^st Century. "It's amazing and humbling to think my great-grandfather started his dream with a hand cranked movie projector in the silent era," Alexander adds. "Now, 110 years later, I'm making movies. It's really an honor to continue the family legacy."