Biography

Winston West is an American filmmaker who has been making movies since he was quite young. At 4 years old, he started shooting stop action movies with his Mom, bringing his toys to life. Soon weekends and vacations morphed into filming sessions to make shorts with friends and family. When he was 12, his mockumentary "The Rat Man" won the Youth Comedy Short Competition at the Environmental Film Festival in the Nations Capital (DCEFF). Later that year, he garnered an Honorable Mention for his film "The Terrible Future" at the International Youth Silent Film Festival Northwest Regional, in Portland, Oregon. In 2022, his film "The Damsel" won first place at the same Festival. Winston's style has an almost cartoony quality inspired by Buster Keaton, Edgar Wright, and Neill Blomkamp. He is fascinated by how a director can meld the technical and creative elements of film to advance the narrative. He lives in Washington, DC, where he attends the high school at Jackson-Reed High School. When not studying, he can be found on the streets, camera in hand, or in theaters finding inspiration on the big screen.