Judges Bring Impressive Experience to 2020 SGFF

February 27, 2020

VALDOSTA, GA – Along with the films and panels, the South Georgia Film Festival (SGFF) is bringing film professionals to judge this year’s competitive films. With judges from across the state and the nation, the quality of eyes on this year’s films is impressive.

Some of our visiting filmmakers will also be helping judge films. Brent Simond will be screening his documentary about the country music singer Verlon Thompson, “Sweet Dreams Do Come True,” as well as holding a panel about how he raised the money for the films’ music rights. Simond is a professor at Illinois State University and will be that expertise as a judge.

The forces behind Film Impact Georgia, Molly Coffee and Melissa Simpson, return this year as both panelists and judges. Coffee, a native of Brooks County, has been creating works through her Zombie Cat productions, such animations, puppetry, and set design. Simpson, a graduate of North Georgia, has extensive production and festival experience, most recently with the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The two will be talking about Film Impact Georgia’s role in preserving local filmmaking in the state with such projects as their bi-annual film grant during the panel on Saturday, March 7.

Award-winning filmmaker and artist, Jeff Shipman, will be joining the SGFF for the first time. With experience shooting music videos and documentaries, Shipman is a Georgia State University graduate.

Coming down from the Mid-Georgia, Tabitha Walker has been in the film and video production industry for the last two decades, along with currently serving as programmer for the Macon Film Festival. Walkers’ Big Hair Productions has worked on corporate videos, network and cable television, and along film productions of various sizes.

John Bring, Valdosta State University alum and writer for the TV show “Supernatural,” won’t be attending the festival in person, but will be serving as a judge as they complete production on his TV show. Bring has vast experience in movie production from being a director, actor, and production assistant on hit TV Shows and independent horror films.

Other VSU alums participating as judges including Ryan Adams from Tift Regional Hospital, Dynasty Tennison with Black News Channel, Marcus McConico of Channel 17, and Christine Jones.

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 Odum Library auditorium this year, located beside the Student Union. Over the three days, visitors can park at both the Oak Street Parking Deck and the University Center parking lot. With numerous panels and screenings across both locations, attendees will find plenty to do.

Returning sponsors to the festival include Georgia Power, Georgia Beer Company, the Georgia Council for the Arts, Valdosta State University, Wild Adventures, the Turner Center for the Arts, Valdosta Main Street, the Valdosta Daily Times, Ashley Street Station, the City of Valdosta, the Williams Hotel Group, and MUBI.

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 Richard Baxter to discuss Columbus, GA new tax incentives for film, Brent Simond of Illinois State University to discuss crowdfunding his documentary on country music, the Georgia Production Partnership’s South Regional meeting, and much more.

Passes to this year’s festival are currently available. The All Access VIP pass, which includes a t-shirt and access to the VIP areas 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 to all screenings and panels.

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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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