'The Victor' tops film competition

SANDPOINT — “The Victor” is living up to its name.

The short film, directed by local 16-year-old filmmaker Stephen Byrum, took home the “Rising Star of Bethlehem” award last Saturday at The Attic Film Festival in Austin, Texas. An honor reserved for young actors and directors, the win netted Byrum both an artistic commendation and a $1,000 scholarship. “The Victor” squared off against three other contenders for the award.

“It’s really exciting to me, because this is the first time I’ve ever taken the movie out of the state,” Byrum said.

One of the most prominent Christian-based movie events in the county, The Attic Film Festival seeks movie submissions that include Bible-based themes and story lines. Byrum determined that “The Victor,” his debut film shot last summer in Sandpoint with a local cast and crew, would be a good fit in the festival lineup thanks to its themes of personal transformation and reconciliation.

“I see it doing very well in Christian circles because it’s creative and different from what you might normally see,” Byrum said.

According to Byrum, he knew something was up when the festival directors asked him to prepare an award acceptance speech. However, the request didn’t get much more detailed than that. He didn’t know what award he’d won and whether the judging panel or the viewing public selected it for the honor. Nevertheless, he recorded a video acceptance speech and sent it to the festival.

 Byrum also received an invitation to speak at the festival next year. He hopes to finish up another film to enter before the submission deadline, travel to Austin and enjoy the festival in person.

In addition, Byrum is nearing the end of production on “Venia,” a 10-minute movie about forgiveness that will be available to view for free on the Internet. According to Byrum, local filmmakers Erik Daarstad and Dan McCann had a chance to critique a rough version of the film and came away with a positive impression.

With those recent successes in mind, Byrum has all the more motivation to continue pursuing his dream.

“It’s one thing when people turn out to see the movie made by a local guy,” his father Bob Byrum said. “But when people you don’t know from another state give this kind of honor, that’s pretty cool.”

Learn more about “The Victor” and “Venia” at www.fearlessprofilms.com or on Facebook.