Appalachian Film Festival kicks off next in Huntington

HUNTINGTON -- That wildly spiced cinematic stew that makes up the Appalachian Film Fest is getting boiled down to the good stuff.

The Huntington Regional Film Commission sifted through more than 130 entries from across the 13-state region of Appalachia for the films chosen to be shown at the 5th annual Appalachian Film Festival that takes place Thursday, April 17 through Saturday, April 19, at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center.

The final showing includes six feature-length films, five documentaries, three young filmmaker films and nearly 20 short and microfilms.

George Snider, a member of the Film Commission, said the number of films and the quality gets better each year.

"Year after year, we have been very satisfied to see continued growth and the number of entries climb every year," Snider said. "It's a tribute to our region, and the fact that we do have a number of talented screenwriters and film-makers in the region."

Snider said they added a new category this year for micro films (films less than five minutes long). Think YouTube.

The winner for Best Micro and Best Young Filmmaker will get $250 while the Best Feature, Best Documentary and Best Screenplay will get $1,000 each for first place; $500 for second and $250 for third.

Snider said in addition to a load of short and micro films, they saw some great quality in both documentaries and feature films.

"This year, we also saw a huge number of feature films which we were surprised to see," Snider said. "People are finding the budgets to make them, and we are seeing a lot of good stuff. At least half the films are comedies, and they are superb."

FEATURE FILMS: "Tattered Angel," "Crash Gordon," "Elizabeth Gunness," "Stomp! Shout! Scream!" "Grilling Bobby Hicks" and "Johnny Boy."

DOCUMENTARY FILMS: "Mountain Top Removal," "Devil's Oven: The Fire in the Heart of the Little Cities of Black Diamonds," "Kilowatt Ours," "Moving Mountains" and "Change Comes Knocking: The Story of The North Carolina Fund."

SHORT FILMS: "Joe Mover" "Gravida," "The Church of the Good Thief," "Meter," "Spring 1386," "Doors," "What Ana Left Behind," "Nothing but Net," "Steak Dreams," "Trouble Sens," "In Silent Spaces" and "Playdate."

YOUNG FILMMAKERS: "Anthropophobia" and "Speaking Truth to Power: The Story of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee."

MICROFILMS: "Fashionable: A Music Video From Quiet Co.," "Inside," "Simulacra" and "Spiral Bound."

SCRIPTS: "11:11," "The Trailer Park" and "Juniper Bass."

Admission to the films is $2 suggested donation at the door for an all-day entry.

All non-competition feature films have a suggested donation of $5.

To read a synopsis of each film and read about the special screenwriting workshop by a Hollywood expert, as well as the "Back to the Bottle" premiere and more about the Appalachian Film Festival, online at www.appyfilmfest.com.

Courtesy of www.stompshoutscream.com

“Stomp! Shout! Scream!” will be shown as part of the Appalachian Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of www.kilowattours.com

The documentary “Kilowatt Ours” will be shown as part of the Appalachian Film Festival, which runs April 17 through April 19 in Huntington.