Film shot in Craig County wins at Va. film festival
CRAIG COUNTY – A film shot in Craig County is a winner in the third annual Virginia Independent Film Festival.
“Blue Ridge” by filmmaker Vincent Sweeney won the grand prize and audience choice in the feature film category.
Vince Sweeney's film "Blue Ridge," which won in its category at the Virginia Independent Film Festival, was shot at locations in Craig County. Photo by Elizabeth Myers
The 97-minute film described as “a rural film of love and hate” was shot over 28 days in Craig County in October 2008.
The announcement of “Blue Ridge” as the winner in its category was made at the film festival in Richmond on Feb. 28 at the Byrd Theatre in Richmond.
Sweeney put out the word in May of that year that he was looking for an isolated, five-unit trailer park and lush, mountainous background – and a setting that was accessible but free of background noise.
The main set for the trailer park was at a farm in Red Brush, off Rt. 611, according to Sweeney’s friend, Holly Wadey, who lives in Craig County and offered up her house for one shot.
The cafe shown in “Blue Ridge” was Pine Top Restaurant, she said, and exteriors were filmed at C&M market in New Castle, Craig Creek Mercantile on Rt. 311. An interior scene was shot at Catawba Valley Mercantile in Catawba,” Wadey said in an e-mail March 8. Sweeney, who now lives in the Cave Spring area of Roanoke, was not available for an interview this week because he was in California, Wadey explained.
“Numerous roadside scenes were shot at Camp Easter Seals, where some of the cast and crew stayed in camp housing,” Wadey added.
The story is about Sara, who falls for J.T., described as “an unstable young man who lives in a rural trailer park.” Together they plan for a new life and dream of operating an amusement park ride at the beach, but the trailer park landlord has other plans for J.T.
The film was selected by a juried panel. The audience choice award winner in each category was selected by ballot during the festival Feb. 28
Sweeney was the screenwriter, producer, director and editor. The cast was made up of Sean Gullette as the sleazy landlord, Audra Glyn Smith of North Carolina as Sara, Eric Sweeney, “an up-and-coming Los Angeles actor,” as J.T. Ellie St. John is also in the film.
To see portions of the film, go to www.blueridgemovie.com.
Sweeney said he wrote the screenplay about three years before filming it. The 36-year-old went to film school in England and has worked as a cinematographer in the industry since then.
The film festival was co-produced by the Virginia Film Office and the Virginia Production Alliance.
Other winners at the film festival were: “Meet Me In the Bottom” by Shawn Utsey of Richmond, grand prize and audience choice award winner in the documentary category; grand prize-winning short film, “Paperwise” by Chris Yeaton and Jared Carlisle of Charlottesville; audience choice award-winning short film, “Squashing Ticks” by Megan Holley of Richmond.
[...] in Richmond, VA Blue Ridge also took home two awards in the 2010 Virginia Independent Film Festival: Best Film and Audience [...]