Red Deer filmmaking brothers win two Christian visual media awards
Lana Michelin
Unveil Studios, owned by Andrew, Daniel and Matthew Kooman, wins recognition
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Red Deer Advocate
The three filmmakers behind Red Deer’s Unveil Studios took home two international awards for Christian visual media last weekend.

The production company, owned by brothers Matthew, Andrew and Daniel Kooman, was recognized twice at this year’s Crown Awards in Nashville.

Unveil Studios won Best Music Video for Heal Me, and it also received the New Filmmakers Award, which comes with a $1,000 prize.

“We were very honoured to be selected,” with so many deserving candidates in the running, said Andrew Kooman.

The music video Heal Me was filmed in London, Ont., with soaring drone shots and three inter-woven stories. It’s the lead single from singer Elizabeth Smith’s new Christian inspirational album Hope, which was released in June.

The Unveil Studios filmmakers were also recognized with a New Filmmaker Award based on the excellence of their recent output. This includes the two-hour feature She Has A Name, about sex trafficking, which was partially filmed in Thailand and won a Silver Crown Award for Best Drama last year.

Andrew Kooman said it was a complete surprise to win in this category, since nominations were not pre-announced for the New Filmmakers Award. “We were really excited to get it … it was a definite bonus.”

The awards were presented last weekend at a live ceremony at the annual ICVM (International Christian Visual Media) conference in Tennessee. Kooman considers it a great opportunity to meet new people in the industry and network.

Unveil Studios is producing a documentary that follows the “amazing real-life stories of people pursuing their dreams.” Segments of Dream were shot in Tanzania and Mexico City, with other filming slated for Canada and the U.S.