They receive a lot of support in the 168 Film Project, he said. There are workshops run by professionals in the field they can learn from.
But the bottom line is, “they are very talented,” he added.
Take best newcomer winner Jeanette Reedy Solano, Ware said.
The film “Out of the Fire” was her producing debut, he said. She was an actor last year.
“She was a newcomer — a complete newbie and took this major project on,” Ware said. “She lost all her crew and camera gear because they got another job and went away. She prayed and kept working and finding a crew.”
Winning best film was Helen Urriola of Decatur, Ga., producer of “The Party.” It also won best director for Jim McKinney, best actor for Jeff Rose and best actress for 6-year-old Maggie Jones.
Urriola said she attributed the film’s success to a great team effort, starting with McKinney. A producer of TV commercials, Urriola took time out from her regular job to volunteer with the 168 Film Project.
“My primary task was to round up colleagues and co-workers on commercial projects to donate their time,” she said.
Urriola also scouted filming locations, helped McKinney with casting and did some script supervising, she said.
“And calling the caterer to clean up at the end,” she added.
She is a true believer in the fact that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, she said.
“We had a lot of terrific actors and terrific crew people who loaned their personal equipment and expertise and muscle to move things around,” she said. “Combined with a fantastic script, we were lucky. The stars were aligned just right for us.”
