DOCUMENTARY FILMS

2010

  • "Fire In The Mountains" winner Best Short Film - Appalachian Film Festival. 

  • "Fire In The Mountains" featured documentary at Hot Springs International Film Festival - Hot Springs, Arkansas.

  • "Fire In The Mountains" featured documentary at Cinema on The Bayou - Lafayette, LA.

  • "Fire In The Mountains" aired on Kentucky Educational Television (KET) program "Reel Visions: Spotlight on Kentucky Film Makers", Season 3.

2011

  • "Zen Furnace" featured film at Vesak International Buddhist Film Festival - Sri Lanka

  • "Zen Furnace" aired on Kentucky Educational Television (KET) program "Reel Visions: Spotlight on Kentucky Film Makers", Season 4.

2014

  • "Commonwealth Curiosities; An Ode to Kentucky’s Unique Attractions" aired on Kentucky Educational Television (KET).

2015

  • "Commonwealth Curiosities; An Ode to Kentucky’s Unique Attractions, Volume Two" aired on Kentucky Educational Television (KET).

2016

  • Co-host/Co-Producer MSUTV Program "The Major Minute" and "ART THIS."

2017

  • "Far Above The Rolling Campus: A History of Morehead State University" aired on Kentucky Educational Television (KET).

  • "Between The Rock and the Commonwealth" aired on Kentucky Educational Television (KET), and WOSU Ohio Public Media.

  • "Between The Rock and the Commonwealth" shown at The Rivers Edge Film Festival, Paducah, Kentucky

  • “Between The Rock and the Commonwealth” shown at the Louisville International Film Festival, Louisville, Kentucky.

2018

  • "Map Dot Kentucky" aired on Kentucky Educational Television (KET).

2019

  • "The Show Starts At Dark" aired on PBS affiliate Kentucky Educational Television (KET).

  • "The Show Starts At Dark" featured in Lane Report article.

2020

  • "The Show Starts At Dark" selected for Rivers Edge International Film Festival in Paducah, Kentucky.

2021

  • "A History of Sweetness: 100-Years of Ruth Hunt Candy" aired on PBS affiliate Kentucky Educational Television (KET).

2023

  • "Stages and Waves: An Excursion through Challenging Times" aired on PBS affiliates KET and West Virginia Public Broadcasting WVPB.

  • "Stages and Waves: An Excursion through Challenging Times" featured in Daily Independent - Ashland, KY,

  • "Stages and Waves: An Excursion through Challenging Times" featured in Morehead State News article.

  • "Stages and Waves: An Excursion through Challenging Times" featured on WKYT program "Everyday Kentucky". https://www.wkyt.com/video/2023/02/15/steven-middleton-stephanie-duckworth-stages-waves-documentary/

  • "Stages and Waves: An Excursion through Challenging Times" featured in official Kentucky Educational Television magazine Visions - May 2023 edition.

2024

  • "My Mountain Fiend: The Last Ride of JR Roc" officially selected and shown at the 2024 Big Sandy Film Festival.

  • "My Mountain Fiend: The Last Ride of JR Roc" officially selected and shown at the 2024 Louisville International Film Festival. https://louisvillefilmfestival.org/schedule-details/

  • Winner 2024/2025 Research and Creative Productions Grant Morehead State University.

2025

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Officially selected and overall featured film 2025 Appalachian Film Festival Huntington, WV April 26, 2025.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Officially selected as part of the 2025 Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival March 12-13 Belfast Northern Ireland United Kingdom.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” accepted and aired on West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) (PBS affiliate) March 17th at 9 pm EST.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Officially selected and winner best musical film at the 2025 Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival in Belfast Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Officially selected 2025 Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Officially selected and winner of the Green Apple at the 2025 Appalachian Film Festival Huntington, WV.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Officially selected and Honorable Mention at Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival June 2025 Athens, Greece.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Officially selected New York Lift-Off Film Festival July 2025 New York, New York..

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Officially selected Liberty Films Festival July 2025 Athens, Greece.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Officially selected Big Sandy Film Festival August 2025 Louisa, Kentucky.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Officially selected Eastern Europe Film Festival August 2025 Bucharest, Romania.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Honorable Mention in the Documentary category Eastern Europe Film Festival August 2025 Bucharest, Romania.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Officially selected Stockholm City Film Festival August 2025 Stockholm, Sweden.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” semifinalist Stockholm City Film Festival August 2025 Stockholm, Sweden.

  • Steven Middleton recognized as outstanding faculty by Morehead State University Board of Regents August 2025.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” winner of best editing for a feature film, and Best Feature Film at the 2025 Big Sandy Film Festival Louisa, Kentucky.

  • “From The Cowboy’s Boot Heel” Officially selected Paris Lift-Off Festival September 2025 Paris, France.

  • Winner 2025 Notable Alumni winner Morehead State University October 2025

Related Articles/Media

Awards and Recognitions

A man wearing glasses, a tan blazer, and a blue shirt stands in front of a backdrop with Appalachian Film Festival logos. He is smiling and holding a small green apple-shaped award or ornament.
Poster with black smoke, blue and red stripes, and white text reading 'FIRE IN THE MOUNTAINS.'
Silhouette of a person meditating in a seated cross-legged pose against a textured blue background.
Cover of a book titled "Tobaccollachia", presented by State Run Media, featuring an illustration of a tobacco plant with green leaves and purple flowers against an orange background.
Map of Kentucky highlighting various museums and attractions like Dinosaur World Cave City, the Kentucky Reptile Museum, and the Wilderness Trace Craft Gallery, with text promoting Kentucky's unique attractions.
Book cover titled 'Commonwealth Curiosities Volume 2' with a map outline of Kentucky. The cover features illustrations including a wolf, a bat, a boat, a robot, a man in a top hat, a monument, and a clown holding balloons. The background is yellow with black and white graphic design elements.
Poster for a documentary screening about the Ohio River, featuring a man in a hat and a black jacket, and an image of a historic rock with an inscription.
Artwork featuring a showcase of insects and bugs with a large, dark blue silo in the background, and a fenced garden area filled with various insects and bugs, with two people observing from the foreground.
A man walking down a colorful street carrying a guitar on his back, with mountains and vibrant trees in the background, and a mix of vintage and modern houses and cars.
A large, worn brown mountain hiking boot with yellow laces, next to a championship belt with gold plates, set against a painted mountain landscape background. Red text reads "MY MOUNTAIN FIEND" in the top right corner.
Event poster for a film screening titled "From the Cowboy's Boot Heel" by Steven Middleton, scheduled for April 17 at 6:30 PM at the Paramount. The poster features a stylized, animated portrait of a person wearing a cowboy hat and a decorated shirt, with colorful star shapes in the background. The poster includes logos for Marathon and Boyd County BOCO, and mentions ticket purchasing information at ParamountArtsCenter.com.
Poster for Appalachian Film Festival on Saturday, April 26 featuring a musical performance from Rob McNurlin, based on the movie "From the Cowboy's Boot Heel". The event is at Foundry Theater, 800 5th Ave., Huntington, WV. The poster shows a cartoon of four creatures with film cameras for heads walking.
Certificate from the Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival honoring the musical journey of Rob McNurlin from the cowboy's boot heel with the Best Music Film Award.
Audience watching a movie in a theater showing a live performance of a musician playing guitar and singing on a screen.
Four adults sitting on a blue couch in a TV studio with a brick wall and a window with flowers in the background. One man is standing behind them, smiling, while the others are seated. The background features a bright yellow poster with cartoon cowboy and ranch themes.
Four people, two women and two men, standing together and smiling in a TV studio. The man in the center is wearing a black cowboy hat and leather jacket. The woman on the left is wearing a light blue dress, and the woman on the right is wearing a cream blouse and yellow skirt. The man next to the cowboy-hat man is dressed in a light suit with a red flower lapel pin.
Six people smiling and posing together indoors, in a room with a window and patterned wall.
Group of five men standing on stage, smiling, with musical instruments and equipment in the background.
A collage of various film posters and images with the text 'SEMINALISTS JUNE 2025' and the Stockholm City Film Festival semi-finalist badges for June 2025.
Black and white photo of the exterior of a historic theater building with a marquee promoting the Twelve Lions Film Festival, featuring a large group of young people standing in front of the entrance, smiling and posing for the photo.
A shirtless man wearing a white headband holding up championship belts against a black curtain background.
Traditional wooden building with curved roof, set against a backdrop of leafless trees and a clear blue sky with the moon visible.
Neon sign reading 'Sleep in Wichita'; additional sign below reading 'Vacancy' against a partly cloudy sky.
A long line of people, including children and adults, standing outside a large brick building with a tower on top, during daytime. There is a lamp post in the foreground and a vintage car partially visible on the right side.
Ancient petroglyph of a human face carved into a large rock surface
Group of five people wearing green racing team shirts, standing together outdoors, smiling for the photo with some sunlight and trees in the background.
An outdoor drive-in movie theater at dusk with cars parked and a large screen displaying a colorful ferris wheel scene.
Workers in gloves place chocolates on a conveyor belt at a chocolate production facility.
People gather near a wrestling ring at an outdoor fair, with a Ferris wheel visible in the background during late afternoon.
Woman standing outdoors in a garage or workshop, holding a pair of goggles and a small monitor, with a large camera on a tripod and several cars parked nearby.
Two men standing outdoors in a park on a sunny day, each wearing championship wrestling belts over their shoulders, both wearing sunglasses and casual summer clothing, and smiling.
A man wearing a black cowboy hat, a light blue embroidered jacket, and a black scarf playing an acoustic guitar in a dimly lit setting.
A wrestling ring with a female wrestler inside, her silhouette visible against the bright sunlight. The scene takes place outdoors near amusement park rides and a crowd of spectators watching.
Two men walking outdoors on a grassy area with leafless trees in the background. One is wearing a black cowboy hat and coat, and the other has long white hair, a beard, glasses, and a black jacket. An old, rusty van with a Kentucky license plate is parked on the right side.
The Paramount Theater marquee displaying upcoming show information, with a tall vertical sign reading 'PARAMOUNT,' an ornate design, and a cloudy sky in the background.
Three men standing together inside a theater, smiling for a photo. The man on the left wears a cowboy hat and western-style jacket. The middle man has long curly hair and wears a black T-shirt with a singer playing guitar on it. The man on the right wears glasses and a brown plaid suit.
Two men smiling and holding awards outside the GARDEN theater during the Big Sandy Film Festival on August 15-16. One man wears a cowboy hat and jeans, the other wears a vest and dress pants.
Group of five people standing in front of a theater marquee at night, with several other people in the background, all dressed casually, smiling, and wearing event badges. The marquee advertises the Twelve Lions Film Festival.
Man standing on a red carpet at the Twelve Lions Film Festival, smiling and wearing glasses, a beige blazer, brown vest, white shirt, and khaki pants, with a festival badge around his neck.
Group of six men standing in front of a blue backdrop with Morehead State University logos, holding awards and medals.