David Westbrook Hughens had to overcome a lot of obstacles to make his first feature film, ELVIS’ GRAVE, and he did it when he was just 23 years old. He was the second person to make a homegrown film in his home state of Alabama, and the youngest at the time. David wrote, directed and edited the film as well as handling many of the production duties. David is a graphic artist with a keen eye for visual composition and frame finesse. He is also a musician and knows the importance music plays in films. He has had a 30-year career in sales and marketing which separates him from many artists when it comes to getting a project in front of a large audience and returning a profit. David’s strong suit is being able to straddle left- and right-brain thinking, which allows him to see the big picture and manage the details that make good projects great. He has experience handling large budgets and diverse teams of people while working under tight deadlines. David is a true Renaissance man with an adapt-and-overcome mentality and a never-say-die attitude. His scripts have won numerous awards at film festivals around the world.
Caught on the monitor going over the script while a PA stands in for the DP and Gaffer as they make a few lighting tweaks.
Working with the talent before we started filming our first setup on the My Brother’s Burden proof of concept shoot.
Filming a performance scene on my first feature, Elvis’ Grave.
Checking blocking and framing before rolling film. Yes, film!
Honored and humbled to receive the Best Script award at ICFF 2022.