Josh Miller, assistant professor of film and media at Kentucky Wesleyan College, took home the Best of Show and Best Alabama Film awards at the 21st annual Rocket City Short Film Festival in Huntsville, Alabama, on Oct. 25.
Miller wrote and directed “Eternal,” an allegorical short film about a young man who, in his grief, wanders into a purgatory world in search of death and the waters of oblivion. The film screened alongside 90 other selections at the three-day festival, which showcases short films typically under 25 minutes in length and includes filmmaker panels and Q&As, workshops, screenplay table reads, film trivia and more.
Miller described the experience as humbling and reinvigorating.
“Eternal took a lot of passionate creative people who worked really hard alongside me to make that short film happen. I wasn’t expecting to win anything, but it feels great for that work to be recognized. Going to Rocket City was also a really great opportunity to connect with other filmmakers and people passionate about storytelling. Energy around independent filmmaking seems to really be growing in our region. Watching Rocket City Short Film Festival infuse the town of Huntsville with an energy around filmmaking is exactly the sort of thing that I think KWC and our relationship with the Kentucky Soundstage can bring to Owensboro. It gave me lots of ideas,” Miller said.
“Eternal” also screened at the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama, earlier this year and is scheduled to screen at the St. Louis International Film Festival in November. Miller hopes the film will continue to earn recognition at nationally recognized festivals such as Sundance and SXSW.
Kentucky Wesleyan will launch a Film and Media major in Fall 2027 as part of the Keith and Vicki Sharber Communications Program. Miller teaches courses in film production, cinematography, film history and more, and students gain hands-on experience in filmmaking through classes and projects hosted at the Kentucky Soundstage.
Dr. Andrew Bolin, Communication Arts program coordinator, said the program’s growth reflects industry professionals investing directly in students.
“It’s great that our students get to learn and work with creatives in the industry and see where their work and experience can lead them,” Bolin said.
To learn more about the Communication Arts program at Kentucky Wesleyan College, visit //kwc.edu/program/communication-arts or contact Dr. Andrew Bolin at andrew.bolin@kwc.edu.