SUTTON, W.Va. – September 22, 2016 – The 17th Annual West Virginia FILMmakers Festival will screen 39 films in Sutton from September 30 through October 2. Of the 39 films, 21 were created by West Virginia filmmakers.
West Virginia filmmakers new to the festival include: Rose Ann Cowger, Jessica Lynn Fox, Dia Griffiths, Calvin Grimm, Jason E. Harman, Dr. Peggy Proudfoot Harman, Laura Holliday, Tyler Miller, Josh McComas, Ryan McKowen, Chris Parsons, Joe Robertson, Brad Rice, Holly Siders, Jenna Skeen, Lisa Tignor, and A.J. Wendel. Returning West Virginia filmmakers include: Ben Berry, Justin Litton, Ian Nolte, Michael Rhodes, Jesse Rivard and David Smith.
The festival will begin Friday, September 30, at 7:55 p.m. at the historic Elk Theatre in Sutton. The first film to be screened will be West Virginia Standing Together – After 911, a documentary short by West Virginia filmmakers Calvin Grimm and Tyler Miller. The feature narrative, The Lockpicker, will be shown at 9:10 p.m.
Michael Gioulis, a historic preservation consultant, will conduct a Sutton Historical Walk, on Saturday, October 1, from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. starting at the Landmark Studio for the Arts on Main Street. All filmmakers and film fans are welcome to attend.
Saturday afternoon screenings will include animation, student shorts, narrative shorts, and documentary shorts. The evening will close with the award-winning comedy The Shickles by writer/director Donna Trousdale and producer by Jesse Rivard, a West Virginia filmmaker.
Sunday, October 2, will be West Virginia Special day and feature West Virginia filmmakers all day. The day will start with West Virginia documentaries, Swiss Family Balli, directed by Brad Rice and Rose Ann Cowger, and Marking Out, directed by Michael J. Rhodes and Chris Parsons. Afternoon screenings will feature animation, a student narrative short and other narrative shorts.
FILMmaker After Parties, sponsored by Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company, will take place at the Landmark Studio for the Arts immediately following the last screening group each evening. Friday’s FILMmaker After Party will feature a 90-minute ComedyJam with West Virginia comedians Ian Nolte, Nate Cesco, Angie Davis, Cody Lambert and Courtney Holschuh. Saturday’s FILMmaker After Party will feature music by Dogs Without Horses.
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 2, 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, Loved Ones In-Home Personal Care & Nursing Services, Microtel Inn & Suites of Sutton/Gassaway, Premier Bank, TSG Consulting, Mountain Craft Productions, West Virginia Filmmakers Guild, and the West Virginia Film Office.
