VALDOSTA – Filled with local and regional media professionals, the South Georgia Film Festival announces the judges for the 2019 expanded competition – including feature films and best in fest awards. 

The 2019 judges include filmmakers Tara Ansley, Luke Pilgrim and Brad Kennedy of Sozo Bear Films, Brandi Nicole Payne of Seed & Spark, etc.

The South Georgia Film Festival judges will be looking at films in the categories of Feature (movies longer than 45 minutes in length), High School (films made by filmmakers attending secondary schools or younger than 18), College (films made by students attending a college or university) and Shorts (movies less than 15 minutes made by professionals), organizers said. 

Due to the influences of previous judges, a trophy will be awarded for Best in Fest, to the best film regardless of category, organizers said.

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 be eligible for scholarships to Valdosta State University thanks to the University Admissions office, university officials said.

Partially due to the increase in the number of films screened and attention to the festival, there will be 13 judges. Along with trophies, judges can 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.”

The 2019 judges run the gamut of professional experiences. Producer Tara Ansley just wrapped principal photography on a new feature film in Los Angeles while her most recent release, “St. Agatha,” is available on iTunes and Amazon now. 

Filmmakers Brad Kennedy and Luke Pilgrim of Sozo Bear Films in Dahlonega 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 serve as a judge. 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. Sicignano’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.

Other judges include Professor Jeff Marker of the University of North Georgia, Professor 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 its recommendations in the high school and short categories.

Festival screenings will take place at the VSU Student Union Theatre 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. 

During the three days, visitors can park at both the Oak Street Parking Deck and the University Center parking lot, organizers said. With more than 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 Professor Jason Brown, (229) 219-1298 or jasonebrown@valdosta.edu.