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Young filmmaker wins first place at global fest

Posted at 4:07 PM, Jan 13, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-13 19:07:25-05

Hunter Hopewell, a 19-year-old award-winning filmmaker and a junior at UNLV's Honors College, has been awarded first place in the 14 to 18 year old category at the Peace in the Streets Global Film Festival.

Hopewell won for his anti-bullying film titled "Numbskull." The film is based on his personal experiences of being a victim of cyber bulling in high school. "Numbskull" hopes to promote the message that bullying hurts and kindness heals more than people realize. Hopewell says that it is his hope that the film encourages "peace in the streets through kindness."

Hopewell was invited to the United Nations to receive his prize where 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. Hopewell has also produced more than 100 videos for his website RockComedyFilm.com, recorded original compositions which accompany his films, and has even appeared on "Conan."

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.

Hopewell has just released his debut album titled "Nobody Like(s) Him." It's available on iTunes and Amazon. He is currently working on his first feature film and hopes to be a feature director at Walt Disney Studios. He would also like to be a part of the cast for "Saturday Night Live" and has a standup routine that showcases more than 20 impersonations and his guitar.