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Shellfish

A stop motion animator has a week to make a film with his dumbstruck brother and the girl of his dreams without his parents finding out. As the shoot unravels, he must decide which is more important, his filmmaking or his friends and family in this coming-of-age dramedy with a stop motion twist.

Winner of 35 film festival awards, including 10 Best of Fests, Shellfish is a heartfelt dramedy with a stop motion twist.

Brothers Bailey, Keller, and Kane grew up making videos together, idolizing their hero Director Alexander Ronolio. While shooting one of their videos, Kane tragically dies in a freak accident. Instead of dealing with his trauma, Keller focuses on animating, and consequently, emotional beats in the film are shown through animation.

Now, Keller's parents tell him to get a real job or move out. However, when Keller learns about a contest sponsored by Ronolio to make a film in a week, he enlists his longtime crush Harper, a now dumbstruck Bailey, and a cast of dysfunctional characters to make a film without his parents finding out. As their shoot unravels, Keller must face his own selfishness and decide which is more important, his filmmaking or friends and family.

About Filmmaker
Hunter Hopewell is a Writer/Director/Actor/Composer/Editor. Fortunate to work with talented collaborators, he has won over sixty awards for his twenty short films and feature film, including a first place win at the United Nations for Numbskull, an anti-bullying short film.

Hunter wrote, directed, and composed the score for his debut feature Shellfish, which premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater as part of the Dances with Films Festival and went on to win thirty five awards at seventy-five festivals, including ten Best of Festival awards.

At Disney, Hunter is a full-time Video Producer, where he Assistant Directed the Disney+ feature documentary, Adventure Thru The Walt Disney Archives. As a voice actor, he is the voice of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, hosting and show-running their most popular series Five Facts, as well as providing voiceover for their promos, events, and podcasts.

Grateful for ongoing support from friends and family and the film education he received in high school and college, Hunter plans to pay it forward through film productions and Rock.Comedy.Film events with a portion of all profits benefiting arts education programs.

As one reviewer pointed out, "Hunter Hopewell, a video producer for Disney, definitely gives the viewer a Disney-esque feel with his feature film directorial…and with its blend of live-action and stop motion animation, this is a story that should be checked out." -World Film Geek
Limited Rights
1 hour 21 minutes 30 seconds English Comedy Feature Film Urban United States 2022