RUSS BARBOUR, 2009 FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR
SUTTON, WV – The 2009 award for “West Virginia Filmmaker of the Year” was bestowed to Russ Barbour, who also won the award for Best Documentary Feature for his accomplished “Reconstructing Bill: The Story of Governor William C. Marland.”
Barbour also directed "Ken Hechler: In the Pursuit of Justice (2008)" and "Reconstructing Bill: The Story of Governor William C. Marland (2009. Russ has had a long career working hand and hand with other world class WVPBS filmmakers to tell WV’s story through film. Barbour has written, produced and directed many world class documentaries about West Virginia that help preserve what is it means to be a West Virginian for our generation and for generations to come.
The Filmmaker of the Year award, bestowed annually since 2003, is the most prestigious honor given to a West Virginia filmmaker and serves as an annual highlight of the festival.