The Billy the Kid Film Festival (BTKFF) announced the filmmaker award winners for the fourth edition, including the honoree presentation to Dennis Moore and Pine Moore Studios, the first Pine Moore Studios Award, which went to Arik Hess’ Big Iron, and the first Ruth Buzzi Comedy Award, given to Lisa Belcher for her film Terminator: Bad Judgement Day.

Jay Pennington and Gerry Olert’s Heart Cycles was named Best Narrative Feature, and Luke Linderman’s Un-Tyed: Building Rosie won Best Documentary, with both films sharing the People’s Choice Award for Best Feature Film. Lisa Belcher’s Terminator: Bad Judgement Day also doubled up on the awards haul, taking the People’s Choice Award for Best Short Film.

Festival Directors Philip Vasquez and Luci DiGiorgio said, “In our fourth year, the Billy the Kid Film Festival kept the momentum going for our celebration of movies in Texas’ Hill Country. Having our film festival debut the Pine Moore Studios Award, which comes with a free day’s film shoot at their legendary Western Town location, and the first Ruth Buzzi Comedy Award, points both to the legacy our film festival is already creating, and our continued promotion and support of future film work created by our alumni.”

Once again, BTKFF presented a series of one-of-a-kind ceramic “ballistic art” sculpture by Scott Carlson Pottery to winning films which included Enrique Novials’ Kill Them All and Don’t Come Back (Best Foreign Film), a tie between Christian Hanna’s Powerless and Rodrigo Moreno Fernandez’s String for Best Narrative Short Film, and Robert Burks’ Texas Wines (Best Documentary Short Film).

Another of BTKFF’s signature awards – Best Outlaw Short Film – went to Preston Walden’s The Hanging of William Crane, Best Animation went to Jack Saxon’s Billy, Sherill Rodgers’ Just an Old Barn received the award for Best Music Video, and Shawn Michael Gillespie’s Kill Your Darlings won the award for Best Student Short Film.

BTKFF kicked things off with a screening under the stars of Mike Markwardt’s documentary The Birth and History of Western Swing. Highlights over the weekend’s screenings and presentations included a standing room only screening of Luke Linderman’s Un-Tyed: Building Rosie, which included an appearance by cowboy legend Ty Murray and an entertaining Q&A with Linderman and Murray (and a special appearance by Murray’s young daughter too).

This year’s Filmmaker Awards Party was highlighted by the celebration of Pine Moore Studios, the popular western movie set and stages in Blanco, Texas. Founder and owner Dennis Moore was on hand to express his appreciation. The evening also included Ruth Buzzi’s husband, Kent Perkins, on hand to present the award in her name and pass along Buzzi’s well wishes. She has been an ambassador for the Billy the Kid Film Festival since its inception.

The 2022 Billy the Kid Film Festival Filmmaker Award winners:

Billy the Kid FF Honoree
Dennis Moore and Pine Moore Studios

Pine Moore Studios Award (filmed with 150 miles of Hico, TX)
Big Iron
Director: Arik Hess

Ruth Buzzi Comedy Award
Terminator: Bad Judgement Day
Director: Lisa Belcher

Best Narrative Feature Film
Heart Cycles
Directors: Jay Pennington, Gerry Olert

Best Documentary Feature Film
Un-Tyed: Building Rosie
Director: Luke Linderman

Best Foreign Film
Kill Them All and Don’t Come Back
Director: Enrique Novials

Best Narrative Short Film – TIE
Powerless
Director: Christian Hanna

String
Director: Rodrigo Moreno Fernandez

Best Documentary Short Film
Texas Wines
Director: Robert Burks

Best Outlaw Short Film
The Hanging of William Crane
Director: Preston Walden

Best Animation
Billy
Director: Jack Saxon

Best Music Video
Just an Old Barn
Director: Sherill Rodgers

Best Student Short Film
Kill Your Darlings
Director: Shawn Michael Gillespie

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS

Best Feature Film – TIE
Un-Tyed: Building Rosie
Director: Luke Linderman

Heart Cycles
Directors: Jay Pennington, Gerry Olert

Best Short Film
Terminator: Bad Judgement Day
Director: Lisa Belcher