Memphis director Kevin Brooks has won the 2018 Memphis Film Prize with his short film “Last Day”.
Courtesy Memphis Film Prize
Kevin Brooks (third from left) accepts the Memphis Film Prize he won for his short ‘Last Day’. From the left is Film Prize Filmmaker’s liaison David Merrill, ‘Last Day’ star Ricky D. Smith, Brooks, and Louisiana Film Prize founder Gregory Kallenberg.
Friday and Saturday, the Memphis Film Prize attracted sold-out audiences to Malco Studio on the Square for a program of 10 short films by Memphis filmmakers. Organizers said that, when the attendance was tallied, they were expecting record crowds.
Brooks prevailed in a strong field with his story of an innocent man (played by Ricky D. Smith) facing a criminal trial that he expects to lose. He spends the morning with his wife (Rosalin Ross) and young daughter, who has a school talent show that evening.
Brooks, a prolific director, has previously won awards at Indie Memphis, and was the recipient of a Sundance fellowship. He is also the Memphis Film and Television Commission’s youngest-ever board member. The cash component in the Memphis Film Prize award is $10,000.
