Canadian filmmaker Trista Suke’s FOXY won the Best Feature Film Award at the first edition of the Texas-based Billy the Kid Film Festival. George Meyers’ NOT YOUR DAY, and Jay Pennington and Gerry Olert’s SMILE shared the Audience Choice Award.

Other winners included Michael Wilbanks’ WALKING PAPERS, which received the nod as Best Short Film, and Chase Honaker’s documentary ALL GÜT THINGS: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF TEXAS GERMAN, which won the prize for Best Local Film. Mindy Bledsoe won Best Performance for her work in front of the camera for her film, THE IN-BETWEEN.

Philip Vazquez and Luci Digiorgio said, “This was a wonderful beginning for the Billy the Kid Film Festival with several filmmakers on hand to meet the film fans and talk about their films and the local Hico and Hill Country community coming out to enjoy the films, panels, and events. The films and filmmakers that won will always hold a special place in our hearts, as they will forever be a part of the very first fest.”

2019 Billy the Kid Film Festival Filmmaker Award winners

AMBASSADOR OF FILM
Ruth Buzzi

BEST FEATURE FILM
FOXY
Director: Trista Suke

BEST SHORT FILM
WALKING PAPERS
Director: Micheal Willbanks

BEST LOCAL FILM
ALL GÜT THINGS: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF TEXAS GERMAN
Director: Chase Honaker

BEST PERFORMANCE
Mindy Bledsoe
THE IN-BETWEEN

AUDIENCE CHOICE

NOT YOUR DAY
Director: George Meyers
SMILE
Directors: Jay Pennington, Gerry Olert