Daniel Boyd obit

Prominent W.Va. filmmaker, longtime WVSU professor Danny Boyd has died 

He was not on the list.

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — Danny Boyd, a prominent West Virginia filmmaker, writer and longtime professor in the Kanawha Valley, has died.

Boyd, 69, spent more than three decades as a professor of media studies at West Virginia State University. In his professional career, he produced multiple award-winning films and documentaries that have since been distributed internationally.

The West Virginia International Film Festival shared news of his passing on social media Saturday morning.

Several former students, collaborators and friends shared their condolences on social media throughout the day.

"While he wore many hats over the years, storytelling was at the heart of everything Danny did," Huntington's Foundry Theater said in a social media post. "His voice was singular, his perspective fearless, and his generosity with fellow artists unmistakable."

A graduate of West Virginia University and the University of Arkansas, Boyd began his professional filmmaking career in the early 1980s. His first feature film, Chillers, was released in 1988 and was awarded a Silver Scroll for excellence from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, according to his website.

His next two feature films, Strangest Dreams and Paradise Park, also saw success. The first premiered on USA Network in 1991 and remains in distribution internationally. The latter earned Gold Awards at the Houston International Film Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival.

A National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities fellow, Boyd has also won awards in documentary, horror, comedy and dramatic filmmaking, as well as screenwriting, his website said. He was named “Filmmaker of the Year” by the West Virginia Filmmakers Festival in 2003.

Boyd, who also taught around the world as a Fulbright Scholar, was known for actively involving his students in his professional projects. He retired from teaching at WVSU after 33 years in 2016.

He is credited with being an influential figure in West Virginia's filmmaking community during the 1980s and 90s.

In addition to his work in film, Boyd also made a mark elsewhere, writing and photographing as a freelance contributor for numerous publications, authoring illustrated novels and children’s books and contributing to local theater productions, according to his website.

His children’s books – The Adventures of Wandala, Miss Dirt Turtle’s Garden Club, Tavey’s First Hunt, and WrestleDreamia – have also won multiple awards.

 

Filmography

Year     Film     Director           Producer          Writer  Actor   Notes

1987    Chillers            Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes     

1990    Strangest Dreams: Invasion of the Space Preachers   Yes      Yes      Yes      Yes      

2006    Paradise Park  Yes      Yes      Yes      No      

2003    Red Salt & Reynolds  Yes      Yes      No       No       Documentary short

2003    Attrition           No       No       Yes      No      

2005    Ghosts of Green Bottom         Yes      Yes      No       No       TV documentary short

2010    Secrets of the Valley, History of Natue Americans in the Kanawha Valley   No       Yes      No       No           

Appearances

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