Indie filmmaker Chris Brinker will be presented the first ever Robert Smalls Indie Vision Award at the 7th Annual Beaufort International Film Festival being held Feb 13 - 17 in Beaufort, SC. The award is named after the Civil War hero who rose from being a slave to a U. S. Congressman.

Producer and director Chris Brinker, who died suddenly Friday, will still be honored at this week’s Beaufort International Film Festival.

Brinker, 42, will receive the first ever Robert Smalls Indie Vision Award posthumously at the 7th annual film festival this week, president Ron Tucker said.

"He was a young man who had a lot of potential," Tucker said. "He was living life to the fullest and had a lot of things planned."
According to Entertainment Weekly, Brinker began experiencing chest pains late Thursday night. Doctors were unable to treat the extensive damage from the aortic aneurysm.

Brinker’s most well-known works include "The Boondock Saints" and sequel, "The Boondock Saints II." He also produced "Borough of Kings" and "Lonely Street".

Brinker was wrapping up production on his directorial debut, "Whiskey Bay," which he was slated to discuss during the film festival with Tom Berenger, one of the stars of the movie.

The film is set in 1983 and based on true events about a cop who infiltrates a ruthless criminal enterprise after he takes down a contract killer, according to the film festival website. The film also starts Matt Dillon and Willem Dafoe, and was set to be released by Sony this year.

A tribute to Chris Brinker and his work has been added to the Saturday night awards ceremony. The Robert Smalls Indie Vision Award is named after the Beaufort native and Civil War hero who rose from being a slave to a U.S. Congressman.

Chris Brinker is a filmmaker with projects in development or distribution at almost every major studio. He started his career working as a camera assistant for award winning DPs and painting sets for brilliant production designers while working at Chanticleer Films. He gained exposure to an industry he admired and came to respect and pursue with a passion.

Chris produced several award winning short films in the early nineties and later landed a job at New Line Cinema where he was fortunate to work in the development division where he was exposed to veteran writers, directors and actors.

In 1997 Chris launched his own production shingle. That year he sold a story to Paramount Pictures and landed a two-picture deal with offices on the Paramount lot. He later sold the screenplay “The Boondock Saints” to Miramax in a bidding war and the film was produced in 1998. Chris has since produced several films (“Borough of Kings”, “Lonely Street, “The Boondock Saints II”) and developed many projects with writers, executives and studios (“Expiration Date”, “Winchester”, “Whiskey Bay”). He has nurtured artists over the years gaining a reputation as an advocate for filmmakers and has a keen understanding of story and the film business.

Chris had also developed and executive produced interactive games, mobile apps, musical soundtracks, comic books, graphic novels and general merchandise related to entertainment properties. He owned and operated a film related merchandising company. The social network for this company has over 6 million active users. He had a vast understanding of Trademark, Copyright, distribution and management of a brand and brought a wide range of experience to any film he was involved with.

Recently Chris made his directorial debut on a film entitled “Whiskey Bay” inspired by true events. The film, set in 1983, is about a cop who infiltrates a ruthless criminal enterprise after he takes down a contract killer. The film stars Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, Amy Smart, Neal McDonough, Kevin Chapman, Chris Marquette and Bill Duke and will be distributed by Sony in 2013.

The mission of the Beaufort International Film Festival is to enliven our community by fostering and developing a rich appreciation for the art of filmmaking. It is also an opportunity to showcase the beautiful "film-friendly" region of Beaufort and the Carolina Sea Islands. For the past quarter of a century Beaufort has served as the backdrop for more than 20 major motion pictures, to include Forrest Gump, The Big Chill, The Prince of Tides, and many more. Through this festival we hope to reintroduce our sweeping marsh vistas, antebellum homes, and quiet charm of the old south to a new generation of filmmakers.