Hunter Hopewell UNLV Film Student Wins First Place

Hunter Hopewell, a forty-time award winning filmmaker and Junior studying Film at the UNLV Honors College, has been awarded First Place in the 14-18 year old category at the Peace in the Streets Global Film Festival (PSGFF) www.psgff.com produced annually by the Peacemaker Corps Association an NGO at the United Nations for the past 18 years (501C3) for his anti-bullying film “Numbskull.”

Based on his personal experience being cyber bullied in high school, “Numbskull” promotes a message that “bullying hurts and kindness heals more than most people realize. It’s my hope that this film encourages peace in the streets through kindness.”

As part of his first place win, Hunter was invited to the United Nations to receive his prizes, where, after his semester abroad in Spain, he met with Ambassador Chowdhury, formerly Under Secretary General of the United Nations under Kofi Annan and Jury Chair of the PSGFF judging panel.  The panel also included Hollywood luminaries Sherry Lansing and Tiffany Smith Anoa’i, VP of Diversity at CBS TV, Voza Rivers, Chair of the Harlem Jazz Festival, and Federico Mayor, former Secretary General of UNESCO, currently chair of the Programme for the Culture of Peace headquartered in Madrid.

As Creative Director for Rock*Comedy*Film, Hunter has done video work for international companies including Crayola, MetLife, Coldwell Banker, Staples, Lawry’s, Kikkoman, Best Foods, Unilever, and more. With some of his commercial work having aired on national television, Hunter has created over 100 videos on his website RockComedyFilm.com, recorded original compositions which accompany his films, and has even appeared on Conan.  Hunter embodies an altruistic passion for inspiring entertainment for artists and audiences, especially in underserved markets, through RCF venues/events with a portion of all profits benefiting arts education programs.

The PSGFF provides a platform for filmmakers 18 and younger from around the world and empowers them to showcase what THEY would do to keep peace in the streets. The PSGFF is produced annually by the Peacemaker Corps Association www.peacemakercorps.org, which has reached over 150,000 teens since its launch 18 years ago. The Peacemaker Corps mission is to facilitate and support peace while educating tolerance among the youth of the world. With over 100 films making it into the 2015 festival, this year’s 2016 festival will launch on March 14th with a social media campaign.

Now, at 19 years old, Hunter has just released his debut album Nobody Like(s) Him available on iTunes and Amazon, is currently working on his first feature film with aspirations to be a feature director at Walt Disney Studios, and will be headed to the Sundance Film Festival later this month. His love of film is accompanied by his lifelong goal to join the cast of Saturday Night Live. With a standup routine centered on 20+ impersonations and his guitar, he sees the SNL experience as the ideal opportunity to hone his talents and deliver inspiring entertainment through the three mediums which interest him most: Rock, Comedy & Film. “It’s about serving others now and establishing a legacy brand of inspiring entertainment that continues to serve generations well beyond my time.”