South Georgia Film Festival Announces Judges for 2019 Competition

South Georgia Film Festival Announces Judges for 2019 Competition

February 25, 2018

VALDOSTA, GA – Filled with local and regional media professionals, the South Georgia Film Festival announces the judges for this year’s 2019 expanded competition – including feature films and best in fest awards. This year’s judges include filmmakers Tara Ansley, Luke Pilgrim and Brad Kennedy of Sozo Bear Films, Brandi Nicole Payne of Seed & Spark, and many more.

This year’s South Georgia Film Festival judges will be looking at films in the categories of – Feature (movies over 45 minutes in length), High School (films made by filmmakers attending secondary schools or under the age of 18), College (films made by students attending a college or university), and Shorts (movies under 15 minutes made by professionals). Due to the influences of previous judges, this year a trophy will be awarded for Best in Fest, to the best film regardless of category.

Winners in each category will receive a trophy created by Harmon Awards in Valdosta, along with a day pass to Wild Adventures theme park and a Chromecast provided by streaming service MUBI. Winners in the High School and College categories will also be eligible for scholarships to Valdosta State University thanks to the University Admissions office.

Partially due to the increase in the number of films screened and attention to the festival, this year there will be thirteen judges. Along with the trophies, every year the judges have the freedom to recognize films with other awards, such as best actress, best production design, or best editing.

“We bring together a strong collection of professionals to survey our festival’s films,” Jason Brown, South Georgia Film Festival director said. “They find what’s exciting and worthy of recognition and we want to support that.”

This year’s judges run the gamut of professional experiences.  Filmmakers Brad Kennedy and Luke Pilgrim of Sozo Bear Films in Dahlonega, GA return to the South Georgia Film Festival for a second year to talk about how they use storytelling in their production work for business clients. Actress and filmmaker Brandi Nicole Payne will be serving as a judge this year. Payne works with the streaming platform Seed & Spark and will be giving a presentation on Crowdfunding, Saturday March 2. Tris Sicignano returns for a second year to the South Georgia Film Festival and will be on the Women in Media panel Friday, March 1. Tris’s work as the co-founder of SurgeTV has brought her in touch with thousands of media makers across the Southeast.

VSU’s own Terrell Sandefur returns after a year where he has expanded his presence in Georgia Film. As the Managing Director of FilmGeorgia.com, Terrell hosted the tremendously successful Georgie Film Industry party at the Sundance Film Festival for a second year in a row. Another returning Georgia filmmaker, Brantly Jackson continues to work as the Program and Outreach Manager for Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta and will be taking her latest film “Spoon” to festivals this Spring.

New to the South Georgia Film Festival is Melissa Simpson, the Executive Director of Film Impact Georgia, a non-profit designed to promote native filmmakers here in Georgia. Simpson is a graduate of the University of North Georgia and works with both the Atlanta Film Festival and Rome Film Festivals.

This year’s other judges include Professor Jeff Marker of the University of North Georgia, Prof. Chris Medjesky of University of Findlay, Event Coordinator and Film Programmer Charles Judson, along with local media personality Marcus McConico of Channel 17 and Jessica Ganas formerly of Red Door Records. The majority of judges will be attending the festival screening films or participating on panels.

Along with the judges able to attend the festival, numerous volunteer screeners helped choose which films appeared at this year’s event. This year’s screeners included TV Producer/Editor Robert Huntley, VSU’s Director of New Media Center Kyle Culpepper, local filmmaker Zane Ally, Alan Hancock College Associate Professor Chris Hite, PA Indie Shorts Film Festival Director Samantha Kolesnik, and filmmaker Justin Litton. Along with these professionals, the VSU student film festival organization run by Jennifer Rainer made their recommendations in the high school and short categories as well.

Festival screenings will take place at the VSU Student Union Theater at the corner of Baytree and North Oak Street. The festival added the use of the Mass Media Screening room, on the corner of Patterson and Brookwood. Over the three days, visitors can park at both the Oak Street Parking Deck and the University Center parking lot. With over a dozen panels and workshops across both locations, attendees will find plenty to do.

This year’s festival continues to connect with partners in the Valdosta community, including Valdosta State University, Georgia Power, Wild Adventures, the Turner Center for the Arts, WAITR, Valdosta Main Street, the Valdosta Daily Times, the City of Valdosta, Miss Kate’s Tours and Coca-Cola. Promoting entrepreneurship through filmmaking, the festival continues to promote the regional film industry with panelists discussing both the craft and industrial impact of film for local businesses. This year’s festival has also includes panelists Brandi Nicole Payne of Seed & Spark to discuss Crowdfunding, producer Tara Ansley, actor Ian Anderson, along with many others.

Passes to this year’s festival are currently available. The All Access VIP pass, which includes a t-shirt, access to the VIP areas, and a ticket to Thursday’s Georgia Production Partnership event costs $100. The Festival Pass which offers access to all screenings, panels and daily events are $40. Day Passes are $15 for all screenings and panels. Both High School and College students can get a free Day Pass with their school id. Tickets are available through the SouthGeorgiaFilm.com website.

For more information on the South Georgia Film Festival, visit SouthGeorgiaFilm.com or contact Prof. Jason Brown at 229-219-1298 or jasonebrown@valdosta.edu.

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Luke Pilgrim (left) and Brad Kennedy (right) of Sozo Bear Films

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandi Nicole Payne, filmmaker/Seed & Spark

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terrell Sandefur, FilmGeorgia.com

 

 

 

 

Brantly Jackson Watts, Filmmaker

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marcus McConico, host of City Focus on Channel 17

 

 

 


Official Early Selections

As we began receiving submissions in April of this year, a handful of films rose to the top. While we continue to receive submissions, these films deserved extra recognition. This year have six Official Early Selections, which cover all of our categories.

These films will screen at this year’s festival and most will have someone from the film in attendance. We thank these filmmakers for screening with us and look forward to sharing these films with our community!

 

CRUEL HEARTS (IMDB)   FEATURE

Young man discovers the woman he’s been sleeping is married to a notorious crime boss. When he confesses, the two form an unlikely, dangerous friendship.Thriller – 1 hr 30 min
Language, violence, sexual situations.Director/Writer: Paul Osborne
Producers: Jonathan Brown, Joe Pezzula, Leslie Osborne, Robert Hornack, Bill Eikost
Cast: Patrick Day, Alev Aydin, Melora Hardin, Eddie Jemison, Bonnie Root, Marion Kerr, Dawn Brodey

SPACE GIRLS (IMDB) SHORT

During a sleepover, four space obsessed 9-year-old girls embark on a secret mission in their cardboard rocket. ‘Space Girls’ is a film that celebrates the power of the imagination, the importance of STEM education & girl power.

Narrative – 10 min

Director/Writer/Producer: Carys Watford
Cast: Bella Padden, Anika Selvarajah, Helena Albright, Emily Albright, Sophia Capasso, Laurence Pears, Evan Cregan

MAGIC PLAY        COLLEGE

A shy boy wizard-in-training is forced into a play date with a witch girl who is unpredictable with her magic. From SCAD student Natasha Cánepa.

Animation – 3 1/2 min

Director/Writer/Animator: Nathasha Cánepa (SCAD)

PEGGY (IMDB) SHORT

Everything seems to work out perfectly for Peggy, but her social graces are put to the test when she is surrounded by admiring and covetous parents at a birthday party for her eight-year-old son. From Georgia Filmmaker Justin Miller.

Narrative – 12 min

Director/Writer: Justin Miller (Georgia Tech)
Producer: J Christopher Campbell
Cast: Sarah Blackman, Josh Warren, Jason MacDonald, Muretta Moss, Kristen Shawn, Kurt Yue, Mindy Sparks, Stephanie Campbell, Bonny Breuer

SOLITUDE     HIGH SCHOOL

In 1944 one woman is forced to face the harsh realities of war and experience the true meaning of solitude.

High School – 7 1/2 min

Director/Writer: Julia Bhansali
Producers: Julia Bhansali, Maddie Gall
Cast: Maddie Gall, Spencer Mercier

HEAVENS (IMDB) SHORT

A Colonel returns home from a long mission, but faces the same problems he knew from the military. A golf ball hits him in the head, putting him in an even bigger bureaucratic agency, called Heaven.

Narrative – 14 min

Director/Writer/Producer: Jonas Schubach (Florida State)
Cast: Gordon Ginsberg, Meredith Melville, Charisse Norment, Pamela Williams

The regular submission deadline for the South Georgia Film Festival is December 8. This year’s festival will be held March 1, 2, & 3 on the campus of Valdosta State University. Winners of the High School and College categories are eligible for scholarships to Valdosta State University thanks to the University Admissions office.

Passes to this year’s festival are currently available and discounted through the end of 2018. The All Access VIP pass, which includes a t-shirt and access to the upcoming Georgia Production Partnership event costs $75. The Festival Pass which offers access to all screenings, panels and daily events are $35. Tickets are available through the SouthGeorgiaFilm.com website.

For more information about the festival, contact Jason Brown, Festival Director at 229-219-1298 or jasonebrown@valdosta.edu


Films Selected for 2018 South Georgia Film Festival

With a great group of submissions this year, the South Georgia Film Festival has selected the following films for this year’s 2018 festival.

        High School
Beach Renourishment by Philip Ignatoff
Daydreamer by Kat Garrido
Enough is Enough by Michelle Espinoza
Global Dynamics: A Robot Doc by Derek Walker
One Year by Ashley Kramer
Operation Omega by Michaela Smoak
Straight Out of Money by Joshua Miller
Urban Lightning by Casey Boone
Utforska by Gabby Fiszman
Wrecked by Savanna Barrett

College
19 Years – The Story of Dick Rockey, Tom Odom and Valdosta State Football by David Johnson
Anime Weekend Atlanta 2017 by Jeska Bald
The First Month by Laura Holliday
The Glove by Levi Johnson
Headlock by John Dierre
Limit by Javad Daraei
The Prisoner’s Session by Max Steele
Rickey’s Story by Trey Leonard
Shut-In by Ryan Bryant

Open
Alamo Downs by Chris Gierowski
All Skate, Everybody Skate by Nicole Triche
The Apology Service by Luke Pilgrim & Brad Kennedy
Birthday Cake by Brantly Jackson Watts
The Butcher by Kyle Taubken
Cursed World Problems by Chris Gierowski
Elvis and the Golden Ticket by Palmer Edward
Good Hair by Fray Forde & Catherine D Holly
Harm by Christian Argamasilla
Hide by Jason Kock
The Little Chapel by Richard Schertzer
Matthew’s Gift by Jon Watts
Sunnyside Drive by Luke Pilgrim & Brad Kennedy
Western Jubilee by Donna Guthrie

 

Feature Films

The 12 Lives of Sissy Carlyle by Fran Burst Terranella
Rodents of Unusual Size by Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler & Jeff Springer

 

Look for more information about panels and times in the coming days.