Art by Cait Maloney
Wednesday night was a brilliant night for local independent filmmakers at the Jasper Project’s 2024 2nd Act Film Project at 701 Whaley! With a sold-out house and fabulous arts energy, we celebrated all 14 SC filmmakers who were juried into the project, screened all 14 films, and awarded a total of $2500 in cash prizes to our participants.
Participants included Adam Weber, Idris Pearson, Nick Clay, Marley Gregory, Chad Henderson, Thaddeus Jones, Bakari Lebby, Silas Rowland, Taiyen Stevenson, Alex Steele, Andrew Smith, Ebony Wilson, Dustin Weible, and USC SGTV 1080c, a student film group from USC.
2024 welcomed the largest roster of filmmaker applicants thus far and, in keeping with the mission of the Jasper Project, there was no entry fee for participating in the project. Filmmakers also received a $100 stipend from the Jasper Project to help offset production costs.
2nd Act Film Project director, and Jasper Project Board of Directors president Wade Sellers had this to say about this year’s event: “The 2024 2nd Act Film Project confirms that the indie film community in the midlands is stronger than ever. Filmmakers and indie film fans gathered to watch 14 films created solely for the screening and a packed house of almost 230 people laughed and celebrated the strongest group of movies made for the second act project thus far. This group of films marks 84 movies that have been made by South Carolina filmmakers and produced by the Jasper Project. The Jasper Project is proud to take a leading role in supporting the growth of the new wave of indie filmmakers in the state.”
Sellers continues, “Our 2nd Act judging panel of creative professionals, faced difficult challenges choosing individual awards from this year‘s group of 2nd Act Film Project films. Each film exhibited highly professional approaches to the craft and awards came down to serious discussions between panelists. Quite simply, the talent in every category was just too good to pick an obvious winner. To witness the serious approach each filmmaker took toward the creation of a six-minute short film is humbling and the high quality of the end product is overwhelming. Our indie film community is as strong as ever.”
In addition to cash prizes, winning filmmakers were also presented with artisanal awards created by Columbia, SC - based visual artist Michael Krajewski.
Adjudicators included Kwasi Brown, founder of Black Nerd Mafia, indie filmmaker Robbie Robertson, and visual artist Michaela Pilar Brown, all of whom viewed the films in advance of the screening . The Audience Award was decided via secret ballot (one ballot per person) by attendees at the Wednesday night event. The awards were as follows:
Audience Award – Toreador, Chad Henderson
Producers Award (Best Film) – Toreador, Chad Henderson
Best Script – For He’s a Jolly Dead Fellow, Silas James Rowland
Best Director – the Easter Sunday Massacre, William Nicholas Clay
Best Cinematography – Toreador, Jonathan Palance
Best Editing – The Other Within, Collins White
Best Actor – Toreador, Cesar Davalos
Best Score – Ryde, Ebony Wilson
All 2nd Act Film Project screenplays are bound, given an ISBN, and filed with the US Library of Congress as a way of preserving for posterity some of the art created by the Jasper Project and art coming out of Columbia, SC.
This event, including our cash awards, was made possible by our generous sponsors. Please thank them for their support of local film art and patronize their places of business. Sponsors were Bill Schmidt, The Dragon Room, Fit Columbia, Sound and Images, Precision Garage Door of Columbia, Marketing Performance, Rikard & Protopappas, Columbia Arts Academy, Final Draft, and Coverfly.
Thanks again to everyone who came out to support LOCAL INDEPENDENT FILM in Columbia, SC! To keep up with future film arts projects and all of Jasper’s many arts projects, including the call for the 2025 2nd Act Film Project, subscribe to Sundays with Jasper. To put your name on the 2nd Act Film Project, the Play Right Series, Jasper Magazine, and all of our multidisciplinary arts projects, join the Jasper Guild of Supporters for as little as $25 at the Artist Peer Level.
Enjoy a few of the images captured Wednesday night by local photographer Perry McLeod.
Taiyen Stevenson - 15 Minutes
Chad Henderson - Toreador
Local indie filmmaker Chris Bickel
Ebony Wilson - Ryde
Delicious food by Chef Joe Turkaly is a tradition at 2nd Act Film Project
Jasper board member & visual artist Keith Tolen (r) with filmmaker Thaddeus Jones
Nick Clay accepting his award for The Easter Sunday Massacre
Alex Steel and Collins White — the Other Within
Silas Rowland with crew - For He’s a Jolly Dead Fellow
Filmmaker Ebony Wilson with Mom
Jonathan Palance and Chad Henderson — Toreador
Jasper Project Operating Director Bekah Rice
2nd Act Film Project director Wade Sellers with 701 Whaley’s Leeann Kornegay and Jasper Project founder & Executive Director Cindi Boiter
Working the door — Jasper Board members Christina Xan and Liz Stalker with Coal Powered Filmworks employee Jami Wiseman
Award artist Michael Krajewski with Jasper Magazine co-founder Bob Jolley, aka Bier Doc.
Sponsor Bill Schmidt with guests.
Jasper board member Kwasi Brown enjoying snacks by Joe Turkaly.
Cesar Davalos accepting his Best Actor award for Toreador
Wade Sellers with filmmaker Kari Lebby.
