BERKELEY SPRINGS — The inaugural Berkeley Springs Film Festival was a success last weekend, with screenings of 22 films from all over the world.
Organizers said this film festival was created by filmmakers for filmmakers, and it was a success for not only screenings and awards, but marketing discussions and networking for future collaborations.
“We are independent filmmakers,” Managing Director Brett Hammond said of creating the festival with Technical Director Will Devokees. “We’ve been to film festivals, but many don’t cater to filmmakers. They’re more of a social gathering for high society. We wanted to create a festival with films that were judged on quality and entertainment value, so the films would cater to the audience, as well.”
Films were judged based on technical criteria, as well as entertainment criteria. He said judges were not supposed to let the film’s “message” affect their judging at all.
Several films were submitted, from as far away as Iran, through a website called Filmfreeway, and 22 were chosen.
Hammond said they were a wide variety from feature-length films, to short films, documentaries and horror flicks.
Film festivals also provide a rare opportunity for filmmakers to get direct audience feedback in order to learn and grow in craft and art. A luncheon Zoom call with Alex Ferrari, author of “Shooting the Mob” and “Rise of the Filmtrepreneur: How To Turn Your Independent Film Into A Moneymaking Business,” gave pointers in marketing an independent film in a rapidly changing distribution environment.
“It’s a big deal to see your film on the big screen,” said Hammond. “Distribution has changed a lot. Netflix and Amazon don’t accept films unless they’ve been on the big screen. This provided an opportunity to network. People talked about collaborating on future projects.”
Morgan Arts Council Digital Media Center Director Rick Watson has a film project called Video Springs. He presented a cash prize to the West Virginia-made film that had the most positive impact on the community. That film, titled “The Hope Dealer,” by Andrew Broadhurst, was about the opioid epidemic.
His Video Springs project is an effort to bring filmmaking back to West Virginia and help locals, and others in the industry, find ways to make money of their work while having a positive impact.
Another film produced in West Virginia, specifically Berkeley Springs, was One-eyed Horse Productions’ “Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws,” a western from 2019 about lawman Bill Tilghman and some of the Old West’s well-known outlaws. It was screened and starred men of 1950s and ‘60s western fame like Johnny Crawford, Darby Hinton, Robert Carradine and Don Collier. Mid-Atlantic area actor Ken Arnold had the title role of Tilghman. Crawford and Collier passed away this year.
“Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws,” also called “The Marshal,” was written by Dan Searles and directed by Wayne Shipley. It won the Best Feature Narrative, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress, two Best Supporting Actor awards, Best Supporting Actress and Best Wardrobe.
“Well, I wasn’t expecting this!” said Searles, who attended the screening. “Thank you, Berkeley Springs Film Festival.”
“We are very proud of the response to our family-friendly Western,” Shipley said. “We had a ball making it, and having the likes of Darby Hinton, Bobby Carradine, Lana Wood, Don Collier and Johnny Crawford made it special for us all.”
Hammond said the film with the largest audience was “The First Step” by Brandon Kramer, a documentary about Van Jones, former adviser to President Obama, and his across-party-line work with President Trump on prison reform. It won awards for Best Directing (Feature Film) and Second Best Feature Documentary.
“We’re excited about next year,” said Hammond. “A lot of filmmakers said they want to come back whether they submit a film or not. Many said it was the best film festival they’d ever attended.”
Next year’s Berkeley Springs Film Festival will be Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the Star Theater. For more information, see the Berkeley Springs Film Festival Facebook page and www.bsfilmfestival.com.
