Casper Filmmaker Wins ‘Best Documentary’ at 307 Film Festival
Anthony Stengel did it again.
Just two months after winning an Emmy Award for his short documentary film 'Dying Light,' Stengel also won 'Best Documentary,' for a different film at the 307 Film Festival.
Stengel, under the Stengel Media banner, produced the documentary 'Fire Spinner' for Wyoming PBS, telling the story of (as the title implies) fire spinner Miranda Bressler- another Casper local.
Bressler's story is a unique one; one that could, in reality, only happen in Wyoming.
By day, she's a farmer; working on her family's ranch. But when the lights go out, the flames go up, and Bressler gets to express herself by the light of a burning ember.
"I think Miranda’s story is visually impressive first and foremost," Stengel told K2 Radio News. "That’s what originally made me think this is gonna look awesome because she playing with fire in a different and unique way. But deeper than that she has such a passion for her talent and craft, so I really wanted that to shine through in the film. I also wanted to have it be an inspirational piece - a woman in Wyoming doing her best to do something atypical and different."
And if Bressler is one thing, it's atypical. She's got the hands of a laborer, but the heart of an artist, and the soul of a poet. She is everything that is good, everything that is unique, everything that is beautiful about Wyoming.
"I've always loved performing, but never found a way to express it," Bressler stated. "I took a college career aptitude test once and it told me to join the circus! Oh boy, I should have listened from the start."
Read More: Playing with Fire: Casper Performer Featured in PBS Documentary, ‘Our Wyoming’
While she may not have joined the circus, Bressler has established herself as one of the quintessential performers in Casper and beyond.
And Stengel was proud to feature her for his film.
The 307 Film Festival is an annual festival that showcases Wyoming's best filmmakers; which Stengel is quickly and quietly proving himself to be.
"Man, it’s pretty dang awesome to win best Wyoming doc!" Stengel said. "Of course as a creator and filmmaker, the struggle and dream is to have people first watch and see your work, so that’s always so cool to have that support. Winning an award is another cherry on top and it feels great to be recognized!"
Bressler was recognized as well, as she was the one to accept the award on behalf of Stengel.
"I actually asked Miranda to go to represent me, so she agreed to go to the festival since I was going to be out of town," Stengel revealed. "It’s so awesome that she took time out of her weekend to do that for me. After chatting with her it seemed like a cool experience for her too cuz of course she is the star of the show!"
As the star of the show, Bressler can attest- if you play with fire, you're gonna get burned. But that's what makes it so deliciously thrilling.
Fire Spinner can be seen below: