SUTTON, W.Va. – October 2, 2017 – The 18th Annual West Virginia FILMmakers Festival will screen 30 films in Sutton from October 6 through October 8. Of the 30 films, 15 were created by West Virginia filmmakers.
West Virginia filmmakers new to the festival include: Jon Matthews, Tijah Bumgarner, Josh Baldwin, JT Arbogast, Andrew Boytek, Sheridan Cleland, and Andrew Broadhurst. In addition to WV films there are films screening from China, Spain, Greece and France.
The festival will begin Friday, October 6, at 8:00 p.m. at the historic Elk Theatre in Sutton. Opening night of the festival kicks off with three films by WV filmmakers, the documentary Opioid, Inc. by Jon Mathews; student film Dr. J & Mr. H, by returning FILMmaker Austin Susman; and the Friday night feature Meadow Bridge, by Tijah Bumgarner. The FILMmaker After Party at the Landmark Studio for the Arts features the Ryan Kennedy Jazz Trio from 11pm-12:45am. Tickets for the Ryan Kennedy Jazz Trio are $5.00 for the public including entertainment and appetizers.
Saturday morning begins with screenings at 9:00 a.m. and starts with The Contender, by WV Director Josh Baldwin, of Lewisburg, WV. Saturday screenings will include animation, student shorts, narrative shorts, and documentary shorts. The evening will close with travel to South Charleston for a Q&A with director John Sayles, and producer Maggie Renzi, before the 30th Anniversary screening of Matewan at the the La Belle Theatre at 7:00 p.m. WV FILMmakers Festival is a sponsor of the event supporting the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum.
Sunday, October 8, feature documentary I Am Still Here begins at 11:45 a.m. followed by the West Virginia Special featuring music videos, short narratives and documentary shorts by WV filmmakers.
The FILMmaker Festival awards, West Virginia FILMmaker awards, FILMmaker of the Year and IMPACT Award winner will be announced at the awards reception on Sunday, October 8, at the Landmark Studio for the Arts at 5:15 p.m.
The FILMmaker Festival would not be possible without the support of several sponsors: Café Cimino Country Inn, Landmark Studio for the Arts, Elk Theatre, Town of Sutton, Elk Hostel, Sutton Moose Lodge 825, Shentel, Braxton Convention and Visitors Bureau, Microtel Inn & Suites of Sutton/Gassaway, Premier Bank, Inc., TSG Consulting, and Mountain Craft Productions.
