March 16, 2020
VALDOSTA, GA – Concluding the 2020 South Georgia Film Festival, several local and regional films were rewarded with trophies and recognition. The film Speed of Life, directed by Liz Manshil, won Best of Fest, while Danielle Beverly’s documentary Dusty Groove captured best Feature Film. Festival attendees chose the inaugural Best Poster award for Life Binder, produced by Valdosta State University alum Terrel Sandefur.
Director Douglas Cullen was on-hand to receive the Best Short Film award for his film Portrait of a Woman at Dawn, which was also recognized for Best Production Design. Florida State University students Skylar Theis and William O’Neal won Best College Film for King, Charles. California native Nick Sherman won Best High School film for Earth Defence Force.
Each of the category winners above received a trophy created by Harmons’ Awards in Valdosta. Those present also received a prize package from streaming service MUBI and a blu-ray of the film Matewan, featuring VSU professor Jason Brown’s film Them That Work, donated by Criterion Collection.
The festival judges also wanted recognize other films in the festival including, Imani’s Skin for Best Animation, made by Florida State student Jessica Kirby; Best Featurette to A Rodeo Film by Ryan Binse of the American Film Institute; Best Visual Effects to Journey by Radheya Jegatheva from Australia.
Along with the direct support for this year’s winners, the South Georgia Film Festival includes sponsorships from Georgia Power, Georgia Beer Company, the Georgia Council for the Arts, Valdosta State University, the Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority, 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, MUBI, and the Criterion Channel.
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.
The 2021 South Georgia Film Festival will be held March 5, 6, and 7 and will begin accepting submissions soon. Both high school and college submissions are free until July 1, 2020.
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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