Seeking Nominees: WV Filmmaker Of The Year

WV Filmmakers Festival Announces Filmmaker Of The Year Nomineees

The West Virginia Filmmakers Guild has selected 7 nominees for WV FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR. The nominations were made by members of the West Virginia Filmmakers Guild, previous winners of the awards, and other West Virginia Media Professionals From Throughout The State:

• Charles “Chip” Hitchcock (Producer)
• Chip Hitchcock has played a very important part in the history of the WVFG

Chip’s work over the last year has really been outstanding. His latest doc just went national. Chip is a dedicated filmmaker. He has produced and directed a whole series of documentaries about West Virginians serving their country

• Shawn Holmes (Director/Publicist)

Shawn Holmes makes history as the youngest nominee for WV Filmmaker Of The Year

Shawn is the Ohio Valley’s most talented director. He is not only hard working, but wise beyond his years. His creativity matched with his excellent photography & videography skill have helped launch numerous ad campaigns, films, music video, and he has even contributed his publicity skills to many hit WV Films. His grassroots effort in financing, publicizing, and marketing his film “Memory Lane” puts Shawn at the head of a new generation of directors capable of self-promote their film. He is generous with his talent and even more generous with his time.

• Brad Kalinoski (Visual Effects Artist/Supervisor)
  

Brad recently opened Exodus FX in Huntington, the state’s first Visual FX studio

Brad Kalinoski currently works as the Compositing Supervisor for Look Effects, New York.  He has received nominations from the Visual Effects Society for his work on Black Swan and the final season of Lost.  Prior to joining Look, he worked as a compositor for ILM, Digital Domain, and other VFX studios on projects such as Pirates of the Caribbean and the Matrix.

Brad is a native of West Virginia, with roots in both the Beckley and Huntington.    He and his wife Tina, also a visual effects artist, are in the process of opening a visual effects studio in the Huntington area.

• Justin Litton (Director/Cinematographer)

Justin’s last film “Displacement” won awards from the West Virginia International Film Festival, The West Virginia Filmmakers Festival, and the Mountaineer Short Film and Video Festival. He currently attends the Northern Film School in Leeds England

Over the last 3 years, filmmaker Justin Litton has revolutionized the visual style of films throughout the Kanawha Valley. In works ranging from Music Videos, experimental films, and documentaries to his 2 award winning short films ‘Displacement’ and Dummy, to his work on high profile student projects including “Doggone” and “Zombie Babies”; Mr. Litton has leveraged his knowledge of digital filmmaking technology to create visual projects that are cutting edge. His work with HDSLR cameras, motion graphics, and lighting have made him the most sought after videographer in the Charleston/Huntington area. He was recently accepted into the prestigious Northern Film School in Leeds England.

• Jessie Rivard (Producer/Location Manager)
  In addition to his work as a line producer, Jessie has worked as a location manager for films such as “Waitress” and “Hesher” and 2011′s hit NBC Series “The Cape”

Braxton County Native Jesse Rivard is the rare filmmaker who has figured out how to make the practical of independent cinema meet with artistic merit. Starting out as a location scout, Jesse worked on securing locations for a variety of filmmakers including the feature films “Hesher” & “Waitress” and this year’s hit NBC TV Series “The Cape”

Perhaps Jesse’s greatest contribution to Cinema may be his discovering and nurturing of filmmaking Duo Simon Boyes and Adam Mason, the tortured geniuses behind Rivard’s most recent 2 films, “Luster” and “Blood River” which won the 2009 Narrative Feature prize at the WV Filmmakers Festival.

• Robert Tinnell (Director/Producer)
  Bob Tinnell is a jack of all trades whose projects continue to reach wide ranging public audiences in numerous formats.

Most famous for producing the Troma cult classic “Surf Nazis Must Die,” Robert Tinnell’s filmography is prolific and filled with quality work. He has edited, produced, directed films, and more, showing a wide range of ability. His new short film, “The Game” is a touching and personal coming-of-age portrait set in the context of one of America’s favorite pastimes. He has contributed a great deal to West Virginia through his work as well as his admirable personality.

• Bob Wilkinson (Director)
  Bob Wilkinson has become one of the brightest among an already crowded community of WV Documentarians

Ever since being hired by WV Public Broadcasting in 2001, Bob Wilkinson has proven himself one of the brightest in an already crowded field of WV Documentarians. Documentaries such as Rounding Third, John Brown’s Body and Homestead showed Bob’s ability to find unique stories to tell in everything from the origins of Watt Powell Park to racism amid Elenor Rosevelt’s famous Arthurdale project. In 2008, Bob won Best Documentary Feature from the WV Filmmakers Festival for his film “Shades of Gray” a story of legendary UFO investigator Gray Baker. This year, Wilkinson returns with “Romeo Must Hang” his best film to date, a chilling chronicle of notorious the notorious  serial killer that inspired the MGM film “Night Of The Hunter”

A list of 3 finalists will be announced Tuesday September 27, in advance of the festival. The winner will be announced Saturday October 1 at 8:00 as part of the West Virginia Filmmakers Festival’s awards ceremony. The prestigious WV Filmmaker Of The Year award will be presented at a separate ceremony Sunday October 2, at 1:00 PM at the Landmark Studio For The Arts. The West Virginia Filmmaker of the Year Award is given to the filmmaker whose most recent work or lifetime work has had the utmost impact on the WV film industry. The WVFF board of directors oversees the Filmmaker of the Year selection. The Nomination Committee consists of Previous WV Filmmakers of the Year, WV Filmmakers Guild, Filmmakers in Competition at the festival, WVFF Board, and industry professionals from around the state to arrive at the broadest consensus possible. The 2011 WV Filmmaker Of The Year Award is sponsored by the West Virginia Filmmakers Guild and the West Virginia Film Office.

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