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The Birmingham Creative Company will sponsor the Best of Student Scholarship Award at Troy University’s YellowHammer Film Festival.

The free, virtual festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on July 31. The event is made possible through a major grant from the Alabama Humanities Alliance with matching funds from Troy University and is open to Alabama high school and college students who are interested in learning more about filmmaking and animation. The festival will include workshops, a keynote address and a student competition and awards ceremony.

Birmingham Creative Co. CEO, Aaron Wilhite said he jumped at the opportunity to become involved with the festival.

“I genuinely look forward to helping the students who are exhibiting their work in this film festival as I remember what it was like when I was a student,” Wilhite said. “I’m excited to see their creative work and provide the best film with this scholarship. It means a lot to have festivals like this in Alabama and other underserved communities and I love being a part of it.”

Festival director Chris Stagl, an Associate Professor of Design at Troy, said Wilhite reached out after discovering the event’s website.

“Basically, he said, ‘tell me what I can do and I’ll do it.’ – it didn’t matter what it was he wanted to be a part of the festival and, even more so, help the students,” Stagl said. “We’re lucky to have him and his firm on board to present this amazing scholarship.”

Birmingham Creative Co. offers marketing and advertising services to an array of clients in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. Wilhite, a self-taught cinematographer, has recently grown his previously wedding-centric business into an up-and-coming creative firm.

The sponsored scholarship, The YellowHammer Award, will consist of a $500 cash scholarship presented to the winning film’s director.

The festival recently announced the addition of Alabama native and HBO producer Ted Speaker as its keynote presenter. Speaker has produced five feature films and a TV special in Alabama over the course of his career, including Lynn Shelton’s final film Sword of Trust (IFC), Whitmer Thomas: The Golden One (A24/HBO), The Death of Dick Long (A24), and most recently as line producer on Theo Love’s Alabama Snake (HBO).

Additional information about the event, can be found at www.yellowhammerfilmfest.com/.