At the West Virginia Film Festival, Appalachian youth have a vision for the state’s arts scene

By Lauren Rodgers, RealWV

CHARLESTON W.Va  — Nineteen-year-old Liberty Morgan is the lead organizer and founder of the West Virginia Youth Film Festival (WVYFF), a festival dedicated to amplifying the voices of young visual artists in West Virginia. She started organizing the film festival in Fayetteville as a high school student. Now, the WVYFF has continued to expand, with more submissions than ever. 

“I’m still in shock at how big it’s gotten. It’s starting to outgrow just me — I’m having to create a larger group of people to help out,” Morgan said.

On Saturday, the WV Youth Film Festival held its third annual showing at Park Place Cinemas in Charleston, their biggest hosting theater to date.

Liberty began organizing WVYFF as a 17-year-old. A longtime film lover, she sought to create a collective artistic space for young people in the region, as well as provide them an opportunity to network with artists. 

An ambitious jack of all trades, Liberty is a psychology major at Marshall University, a sailor, and an artist of many mediums. 

“Being able to connect with other creatives through this project has been huge for not only growing the festival, but for my own path,” Morgan said.

This year, the WV Youth Film Festival showed 15 films. Anyone under the age of 24 is encouraged to submit, as long as their work adheres to a PG-13 rating and is under 40 long. The youngest director at this year’s showing was only 13.

“Our festival stands apart because it’s youth-oriented. It’s great for young artists to see their work on the big screen,” Morgan said.

WVYFF has been supported by the West Virginia Film Office, the West Virginia International Film Festival, and the Marshall University filmmaking program. 

Many of the films shown in Charleston were created at the Appalachian Media Institute, a creative youth development organization in Kentucky teaching Appalachians how to represent themselves and their communities through the visual arts.

In addition to talking with Liberty Morgan, I had the pleasure of speaking with a few students from Marshall University’s filmmaking program: Julia Moneypenny, Shelby Blair, Bo Garrell, and Kody Keffer. All of the students had worked on films featured in the festival, including the stunning drama Maple Leaves and Julia Moneypenny’s Lost Doc, a film about the Lost Appalachia Trading Co.

 “I feel like there’s not a lot of professional opportunities for filmmaking, journalism, or media in our state,”  Moneypenny said. “The West Virginia Youth Film Festival is not only a great opportunity to showcase our work, but it’s also just a breath of fresh air.” 

Her peer, Kody Keffer, agreed.

 “It’s important to have events like this one in rural areas,” Keffer said.  It’s an opportunity to congregate, build a collective, and create a think tank.”

The air at WVYFF was one of excitement, encouragement, and collaboration. Talking with young artists and changemakers in the state gave me an optimistic outlook for the future of West Virginia. 

The West Virginia Youth Film Festival proves that our state’s longevity relies not only on creating sustainable job opportunities for West Virginians, but on also creating artistic opportunities for and by West Virginians. 

It’s folks like Liberty Morgan who not only prove the hardworking nature of our people, but also reify one’s trust that there are youth in West Virginia making their visions for the state a reality.

 “All the people I hang around have moved to big cities to pursue their art careers,” Moneypenny said. “But this festival proves that it only takes one passionate person to create artistic opportunities in our home state.”