Welling Films
Welling Films
 | |
|---|---|
| Other names | AXI Productions |
"Welling Films' (sometimes written as WF) is an American film distribution company and studio based in Houston, Texas. It was launched in mid-2006 by Houston-born choreographer and photographer Shawn Welling.
Company history
After Welling's dance studio was beset with Houston city council suits regarding its parking situation, he decided to document the battle on film. The studio released its first film, The House of Dreams, in 2006. This film would win Welling best director honours in 2006 and 2007 from WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.
This win and Welling's eye as a cinematographer would foster a lasting partnership with film legend Lee Majors. In the subsequent years since the company's founding, he has appeared in six projects with the studio. Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
Their 2009 documentary film The Messenger: 360 Days of Bolivar, chronicled the life of four men living on the Bolivar Peninsula during the year leading up to the devastation of Hurricane Ike in the Galveston Bay Area. Among other accolades, it won the Houston Press award for best local film from the Houston area[1] and sold out an impressive nine showings at the historic River Oaks Theatre. [2] Additionally, city councilman and radio personality Michael Berry served as a producer on the movie, after having been an important figure in Welling's legal battle. [3] Berry's fellow associate producer, Todd Spoth, relates a story from the film's winning weekend at Worldfest," when "An older lady pulled [him] aside following the initial screening to... express her liking for the work. She turned out to be in charge of the selection committee for the Sundance Film Festival and invited [the filmmakers] out to next year's festival." [4]
In 2011, feature film Project Aether, earned Critics Choice Awards for 'Best Feature', 'Best Actor', and 'Best Overall World Premier' by the Houston Film Critics Society,[5] as well as a Best Local Filmmaker Award from Houston Press, which described it as "a patchwork of the sci-fi, horror and conspiracy theory genres."[6] That year, the Houston Press quoted Worldfest president Hunter Todd as saying that the competition was so fierce that if Spielberg were to enter his Remi-winning film to the competition that year, "it might not win, because shorts have gotten so good." [7] Also in 2011, he began filming The Legend of DarkHorse County, a feature film starring Olivia "Chachi" Gonzales. The film began as an episode of AXI, but upon finding out Gonzales was strong enough as an actress, Welling decided to create the project as a feature film.[5] The film also features actor Lee Majors, of television's The Big Valley and The Six Million Dollar Man fame. Late in the filming process, Welling added on film veteran Michael Biehn, of The Terminator, Aliens, and Tombstone. Following this project, Biehn asked Welling to be his Director of Photography for his next film. [8]
In 2011, the studio also began the web series AXI: Avengers of Xtreme Illusions, featuring the I.aM.mE Dance crew in a series of web films in the vein of The Twilight Zone, but "infused with dance and lyrical movement that have never been seen before." Also in 2011, he began filming The Legend of DarkHorse County, a feature film starring Olivia "Chachi" Gonzales. The film began as an episode of AXI, but upon finding out Gonzales was strong enough as an actress, Welling decided to create the project as a feature film.
In 2015, Welling Films released five different short films, ranging from topics as diverse as zombie lore to canine aging. In that year, the studio also garnered eleven awards from WorldFest Houston.
Filmography
| Release Year | Film Title |
|---|---|
| 2006 | The House of Dreams |
| 2009 | The Messenger: 360 Days of Bolivar |
| 2011 | Project Aether |
| 2013 | The Walk |
| 2014 | The Legend of DarkHorse County |
| 2014 | Adamo |
| 2014 | The Gift |
| 2015 | Toxin: 700 Days Left on Earth |
| 2015 | Beyond the Yellow Brick Road |
| 2015 | If I Could Talk |
| 2015 | The Blimp Trap |
| 2015 | The Mechanic |
Awards
- 2015, won Best Director of a Web Series award at the World of Dance Industry Awards
- 2014, won Best of Festival award at the Gulf Coast Film Festival for "Adamo"[9]
- 2014, won Best Movie Trailer - Feature at the Gulf Coast Film Festival for "The Legend of DarkHorse County"
- 2014, won Best Comedy at the Gulf Coast Film Festival for “AXI: The Game”
- 2014, won Platinum Remi for Best Theatrical Feature Film at WorldFest-Houston for "The Legend of DarkHorse County"
- 2014, won Grand Remi for Best Web Series for "AXI" at WorldFest Houston
- 2014, won Platinum Remi for Best Web Series for "AXI" at WorldFest Houston
- 2014, won Silver Remi for Best Web Series for "AXI" at WorldFest Houston
- 2014, won Bronze Remi for Best Music Video "AXI: Amnesty" at WorldFest Houston
- 2014, won Gold Remi for Best Comedy Short for “AXI: The Game” at WorldFest Houston
- 2014, won Silver Remi Award for Best Movie Trailer for “AXI: Web Trailer” at WorldFest Houston
- 2013, won Gold Remi for Best Short - Dramatic Adaptation at WorldFest Houston
- 2013, won Platinum Remi for Best Short: Comedy Adaptation at WorldFest Houston
- 2013, won Platinum Remi for Best Short: Suspense/Thriller at WorldFest Houston
- 2013, won Platinum Remi for Best Use of Editing at WorldFest Houston
- 2013, won Platinum Remi for Best Trailer at WorldFest Houston
- 2013, won Grand Remi for Best New Media Production / Website at WorldFest Houston
- 2013, won Grand Remi for Best Texas Production at WorldFest Houston
- 2012, won Screenplay Gold Remi Award at WorldFest-Houston for The Legend of DarkHorse County
- 2012, won New Media Web Series Remi Awards' Grand Award at WorldFest-Houston for AXI: Avengers of Xtreme Illusions[10]
- 2011, won Best World Premiere - Critics Choice' Special Jury Award at WorldFest-Houston for Project Aether
- 2011, won Science Fiction Gold Award at WorldFest-Houston for Project Aether
- 2009, won Best Director Gold award at WorldFest-Houston for The Messenger: 360 Days of Bolivar
- 2009, won Best Documentary festival award at Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival for The Messenger: 360 Days of Bolivar
- 2007, won Best Director Platinum award at WorldFest-Houston for The House of Dreams
- 2006, won Best Director Gold award at WorldFest-Houston for The House of Dreams
References
- ^ Best Local Film Houston 2009 - The Messenger, 360 Days of Bolivar, Houston Press, 2009.
- ^ [http://www.c47houston.com/newsfromhouston.htm C47 Magazine}, August 2009.
- ^ Docudrama explores Bolivar characters KHOU 11, 2009.
- ^ Riding A Storm: From Photojournalism To Documentary Filmmaker SportsShooter.com, 2009.
- ^ a b Nicholson,, Nick (June 13, 2012). "Nick's Picks 02/01/12: The Legend of DarkHorse County". Fort Bend Star. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)[unreliable source?] - ^ Luster, Alex. "Best Local Filmmaker - 2011: Shawn Welling". Houston Press. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
- ^ WorldFest: Where Stars are Born Houston Press, 2011.
- ^ Hidden in the Woods (2014), Film's official IMDb page.
- ^ The GCFVF Announces 2014 Winners Gulf Coast Film and Video Festival Official Site
- ^ Houston Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, 2012