The Southern Film Festival Brings Award-winning Films and Artists to West Point
Story by Amy Guinn
The Southern Film Festival will take place on Friday, August 19thand Saturday, August 20th at New Horizon Theatre in downtown West Point, attracting independent filmmakers from across the nation and providing a unique opportunity for guests to enjoy a wealth of creative projects at one venue. Professional guests of the festival include internationally recognized, award-winning artists.
Dan Mirvish is a director, screenwriter, producer, actor, cinematographer, and author who also co-founded the Slamdance Film Festival. His most recent film which is showing at the festival on Saturday evening, is 18 ½, a 1970s-era Watergate conspiracy thriller/dark comedy about a woman in the Nixon White House who tries to leak the 18½ minutes of missing tapes to a reporter. His filmography also includes the critically acclaimed feature Bernard and Huey, scripted by Oscar/Pulitzer-winner Jules Feiffer, and starring Oscar-winner Jim Rash and David Koechner; as well as Between Us, an award-winning feature starring Julia Stiles and Taye Diggs. He is also the author of the bestselling non-fiction book The Cheerful Subversive's Guide to Independent Filmmaking.
Daniel Moya is a writer, director, producer, and actor with extensive experience in the independent film industry. He was a writer and producer on Mirvish’s 18½. Moya’s film Rental was screened at the Lanett Film Festival and was a favorite of many local guests. His insights during panel discussions provided an incredible resource for local artists, many whom have since entered their own work into the festival circuit.
Over 20 films will be presented during the festival and include narrative shorts, touching documentaries, and heart-warming features. Many of the films selected were created by artists in Alabama and Southern Georgia. Trailers of these films are available on the festival website, so that guests can choose selections that are of the greatest interest to them.
Guests can also meet directors, actors, and producers of the films. Panel discussions with artists will provide exciting and informative insights into issues in contemporary filmmaking, as well as providing opportunities for filmmakers to interact with audience members. Festival Founder, Eric Wright, shares that “Our vision is to encourage filmmakers, both professional and novice, along the film-making process and catapult them into their full potential.”
Films entered into the festival are eligible for multiple awards, with the “People’s Choice” Award to be voted on by the audience. Categories include Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, Best Full-length Documentary, Best Documentary Short, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Awards will be presented at 9:30pm on Saturday night.
The festival will also bring attention to the wonderful opportunities for shopping, amazing food selections, and sightseeing available in downtown West Point, GA and Lanett, AL communities.
Tickets are available by day or as a full-weekend pass. Day tickets for Friday are $10 and Saturday are $25. Full weekend passes are $30. For more information, to purchase tickets, or to view trailers from the films visit www.SOUTHERNFILMFESTIVAL.com.