Q&A: W.Va. native takes prizes at Colony Film Festival

West Virginia writer and producer Sam Holdren brought his film, "The Paradigm Shift," to the Colony Film Festival recently and walked away with awards for Best Short Film, Best Student Film and Best of Fest.

The film, directed by Jon Barr, focuses on activist and professor Arthur Collins, a man fed up with his apathetic students and the state of the world, who assigns his students to plan the assassination of the president.

Question: Where did the inspiration come from for "The Paradigm Shift?"

Answer: Elements of the story came from the experiences of director Jon Barr's father and a family friend. However, when I came on board to write the screenplay, I noticed that professors were being singled out by Fox News for anti-war remarks, being labeled "nutty professors." It made me question just how much freedom of speech actually exists these days in a university classroom. And combined with such a strong-willed and obstinate character in Dr. Collins (played by H. Michael Walls), we had the makings of a reflective drama that hopefully encapsulates a version of academia during the Iraq War. And to be honest, Dr. Collins represents my stubborn and passionate side, while his teaching assistant T.K. (Nicholas Wilder) represents my timid and passive side.

Q: Why are you a filmmaker? What do you enjoy the most about the filmmaking process? What do you like the least?

A: I'm a filmmaker because I like to tell stories, entertain and create visually. That, and I'm not very good at anything outside of the arts. I enjoy the creative collaborations that are possible through filmmaking, because this process isn't just about me or the director, but about every cast and crew member who gave their time and energies toward making "The Paradigm Shift" a reality.

Unfortunately, when you're the producer, sometimes you have to be the "bad cop" and be more serious than what you'd like, especially when time and money are factors. But at the end of everything, it's about the movie, and about trying to honor the people who worked on it by giving them your best efforts.

Q: How was the Colony Film Festival experience? Was this the first time at the festival or has your work been shown here before? How does it compare with other film festivals? Will you be back next year?

A: I had a very good time. I had screened at the Colony Film Fest once before in 2007 and was very happy to return to Marietta. I've been to several regional film festivals, some very young and some that have been around for a while.

The best of them go out of their way to not only promote the filmmakers and their films, but also serve and enhance the culture for the people within the areas served by their events. The Colony Film Festival is no different. It is organized by people who love independent movies and who love that beautiful theater, which is in need of restoration. What a worthy endeavor. I'd love to return, regardless of whether I'm screening a film.

Q: Do you have any projects in the works? How can people find out more about your work?

A: I'm currently performing as a featured extra in a friend's upcoming feature comedy "Booted," to be released in 2011. I'm also slated to be the assistant director on an indie feature in 2010. Can't say any more than that just yet. I'm also doing a lot of writing, in development, on a feature screenplay. Things are bubbling, let's just say that. For more information about my work, you can check out my Web site at www.samholdren.com, or my IMDb page at www.imdb.com/name/nm2435996.

Erin O'Neill conducted the interview.