SUTTON, W.Va. – The 19th Annual West Virginia FILMmakers Festival will screen 19 films in Sutton from October 5 through October 7.
West Virginia filmmakers new to the festival include: Kenneth Tyner, Patrick Murphy, Christopher Lusk, Bruce Hyer, Jillian Carney, Shane Pierce and John Hale. In addition to WV films there are films screening from Spain and Canada.
The festival will begin Friday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the historic Elk Theatre in Sutton. Opening night of the festival kicks off with Recovery Boys by Academy award-nominated documentary filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon Heroin(e)). Following the screening the FILMmaker After Party & Comedy Jam kicks off at 9:00 p.m. at the Elk Hostel with comedians: Nate Cesco, Alex Runyon, Nathan Thomas, Rebecca Fitzgerald and Cody Lambert.
Saturday, 10/6, screening schedule starts at Noon at the Elk Theatre. Not to be missed:
Inventing Rosalee. Rosalee Glass, a former Holocaust survivor taken prisoner to a Siberian gulag during WWII transforms her destiny. In her 80s she begins an acting career, in her 90s wins a Senior beauty pageant and dares to ride Alaskan sled dogs at 100.
From Seed to Seed . When Terry and Monique left the opera to pursue their true passion – ecological farming – their story of community and resilience took center stage. We follow their young family and a diverse group of farmers and scientists as they blend age old traditions with cutting edge science to develop improved methods for growing food ecologically and in a changing climate.
Fiddlin’ Fiddlin’ is a celebration of true Americana and artistic expression in the face of adversity. This hopeful, optimistic film shines a light on what is best about America and shows the uplifting and healing power of music. Fiddlin’ pays tribute to Old Time and Bluegrass music at the 80th annual Old Fiddler’s Convention where musicians travel from around the world to compete and jam with friends, without a cell phone in sight. Wayne Henderson, a world-renowned luthier known as the “guitar god”, is both a master craftsman and master storyteller. His friendship with 11-year old Presley Barker shows just how closely knit a community of musicians can be.
Sunday, October 8, features WV FILMmakers in one screening group of music videos, short narratives and two feature narratives beginning at Noon at the Elk Theatre.
The FILMmaker Festival awards, West Virginia FILMmaker awards and FILMmaker of the Year will be announced at the awards reception on Sunday, October 7, at the Landmark Studio for the Arts at 4:30 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, Elk Motor Court, Shentel, Braxton Convention and Visitors Bureau, Microtel Inn & Suites of Sutton/Gassaway, Premier Bank, Inc., TSG Consulting, and Mountain Craft Productions.
Schedule, hotel accommodations and festival information available at: www.wvfilmmakersfestival.org. Purchase tickets at: https://filmfreeway.com/WVFILMmakersFestival/tickets
