Lander University showed winning films directed by filmmakers of all age groups during the awards ceremony of its tenth annual film festival on Saturday, April 6. A total of 36 films were submitted for the Lander Film Festival's two-week film competition, "the most films ever turned in for our festival," according to the festival's director, Paul Crutcher.
In addition to Saturday's awards ceremony, students and community members had the opportunity to attend a drone video workshop with Bill King from Greenwood Aerial Video, as well as a question-and-answer session with actor Grainger Hines, star of "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs," directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and currently available on Netflix.
Both King and Hines were met with an exciting round of applause during the awards ceremony for their respective workshops.
At the beginning of the competition, each director received a unique line of dialogue, written by Hollywood writers and directors. The participants then had two weeks to write, cast, shoot and edit a short film that creatively integrated the line in some way. This year's lines were a collection of ten lines from the ten previous film festivals. "We are the only student film festival in the country that provides required lines of dialogue from major Hollywood writers," Crutcher said.
Young Filmmakers Division
Taking home first place in the Young Filmmakers Division was Blue McAbee for his film "Banana Power 3 - Dogfight." McAbee is 12 years old and has competed in the Young Filmmakers Division for the last two years. He is the former winner of the Mason Parish Award for outstanding young filmmakers.
In second place was "Silence, Dude!" directed by Briana Hyman, of the Anderson Career and Technology Center; and in third place was "The Littlest Things" directed by Samuel Barstow, of Saluda High School.
College Division
First prize in the College Division was awarded to Doryan Broadwater, of Aiken, for his film "Voices."
"Doryan is a first-time director for the festival," Crutcher noted.
In second place was "Get With The Program," directed by Joey Plyler, of Ruby; and in third place was "Chihuahua and the Wire," directed by Daniel Hudson, of Irmo. Plyler's film also won the Writers' Choice Award.
Open Division
Taking home first in the Open Division was Kevin Alexander Baggett for his film "Team Basement." Baggett is a Lander alumnus, and competed in the festival's College Division while a student. In addition to his required line, Baggett's script included all ten of the possible lines of dialogue.
In second was "Rift," directed by Winston Cely, instructor and head of the video production program at the Anderson Career and Technology Center. Cely's film also took home the Director's Choice Award.
Tying for third were "The Infinite," directed by Jacob Worden; and "Vanishing Point," directed by Michael Shea. Shea is a Lander alumnus now living in Dayton, Ohio.
Best Actor & Best Actress
The award for Best Actress was given to Leslie Giles for her role in Winston Cely's "Rift." The award for Best Actor went to Andrew Mitakides for his role in Michael Shea's "Vanishing Point."
Legacy Award
The Craig Titley Legacy Award was given posthumously to Lander alumnus Bobby Suit, a mass communications major and host of "Bobby's World" on XLR, Lander University's radio station. Suit was a nontraditional student, who came back to school in his later years to earn his bachelor's degree. He graduated in 2016 with a 4.0 GPA. "Bobby wanted to teach his kids and grandkids the importance of finishing what you started," Crutcher said.
Suit passed away in 2017. He is survived by his wife, Brenda, who accepted the award on his behalf. "Bobby really enjoyed time at Lander," she said. "Thank you all for remembering him in this way."
Upcoming Showcase
The Lander University Film Festival continues on Tuesday evening, April 16, at the 25 Drive-In Auto Theatre, located on SC-25 South in Greenwood. All submitted films will be showcased, and admission is free with concessions available for purchase.