Chelsea Hunnicutt Headshot

Chelsea Wayant Hunnicutt

Lecturer
  • Film & Television

Chelsea Wayant Hunnicutt is an award-winning independent filmmaker from Boulder, Colorado. She graduated from the University of Colorado with a BFA in film production and from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a terminal MFA in film and video production. Over the last 20 years she has taught a variety of film production, writing, and studies classes at several colleges. Chelsea also headed the production degree sequence at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina.

For ten years Chelsea was a technical engineer at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, where she worked alongside a crew from the Sundance Institute and with award-winning filmmakers such as Steve James, St. Clair Bourne, and Ross McElwee. She was an editor for a post-production house in Wilmington, North Carolina, and the primary editor for a social issue documentarian. Her writing has been published in Film International, an academic journal. Chelsea’s second feature film, Strength and Beauty, premiered in London, played at the Eye Institute in Amsterdam, and was internationally distributed by Kanopy.

BLOUINARTUK named the film a top five film to watch, and a Columbia, South Carolina newspaper called it “a beautifully constructed film experience.” Her first feature film, Drowning Slowly, won best narrative feature. She regularly presents her work at the University Film and Video Association’s annual conference and, most recently, was awarded honorable mention from the organization for her short script, Leadville, CO.


Education, Licensure & Certifications

University of North Carolina at Greensboro
MFA; Film and Video Production

University of Colorado Boulder
BFA; Film Production

Awards

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS
Leadville, CO Short Screenplay
2023. Honorable Mention, UFVA Script Competition.

Strength and Beauty Film
July 2021. University Film and Video Association, Annual Conference.
2015-2021. Distributed in the United States and Internationally by Kanopy
April 2014. Indie Grits Film Festival, Columbia, South Carolina.
April 2014. Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, North Carolina.
March 2014. University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.
March 2014. Cinedans Dance on Screen Festival, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
October 2013. Astoria International Film Festival, Astoria, Oregon.
September 2013. Winthrop University, Rock Hill, South Carolina.
September 2013.White Sands International Film Festival, Las Cruces, New Mexico.
September 2013. Portobello Film Festival (Official Premiere), London, England.
July 2013. Gwinnett Center Film Festival (Special National Dance Day Screening), Atlanta, Georgia.
August 2012. North Carolina Dance Theatre (Preview Screening), Charlotte, NC.
Media Coverage: Included in the Huffington Post “These Women Are Changing the Way We View Body Love in Dance,” Katharine Brooks, September 11, 2014.
Reviewed by SceneSC, “Bookin’ and Strength and Beauty at Indie Grits.” Kayla Cahill, April 15, 2014.
Reviewed by What Jasper Said, “Preview – Strength and Beauty – at Indie Grits.” April 14, 2014.
Included in ARTINFO UK “Top 5 Films to Watch at Portobello Film Festival.” Samantha Tse,
August 23, 2013. Included in Jasper Magazine Issue 004, “Indie Grits.” Wade Sellers. Pg 38. Mar/Apr 2014.
Reviewed by Heather Hearts, “Strength and Beauty – A Review.” Heather Toner.
Included in What’s Up, “White Sands Film Festival.” Maggie Asfahani Hajj, September 4, 2013.
Reviewed by The Focused Filmographer, “#WSIFF: Reviews to Use & Help Choose, pt 4.” Terrence Faulkner, August 28, 2013.
Included in Dance Informa, “New Dance Documentary to Premiere Soon.” August 22, 2013.
Included in Capezio Dance News, “New Dance Documentary to Premiere in London.”
Included in Jackrabbit Blog, “Strength and Beauty Features 3 NCBallerinas.”
Included in Gwinnett Daily News, “Art Beat: International Film Festival Includes Documentary About Gwinnett Dancer.” Holly Calmes, July 24, 2013.

Drowning Slowly Film November 2009.
Best Narrative Feature, Ava Gardner Film Festival, Smithfield, NC. August 10, 2010.
Presented at the University Film and Video Association’s annual conference, Burlington, VT.
“Giselle” Film Reviewed in Film International, Number 3: 2006: 7. (“Film Scratches” section) August 2006.
Presented at the University Film and Video Association’s annual conference Orange,CA
October 2006. Official Selection of the Show Me Your Shorts Film Festival, Wilmington, NC. April, 2006. Official Selection of the Cinerama Film Festival, Gainesville, FL. February 2006.
Official Selection of the Carolina Film and Video Festival, Greensboro, NC “Swan Quarter” Short Film October 2007.
Retrospective Winners Screening, Sometime in October Film Festival, Wilmington, NC. October 2004. Winner Best Drama Short, Sometime in October Film Festival, Wilmington,NC. August 2004.
Screened at the University Film and Video Association’s annual conference, Toledo, OH.
April 2004. Official selection of the Blu Moon Film Festival, Greenville, NC. March 2004.
Aired on “Second Cinema,” across North Carolina on Time Warner Cable. November 2003.
Official selection of the Marco Island Film Festival, Marco Island, FL. October 2003.
Official selection of the Wilmington Independent Film Festival, Wilmington, DE.


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