Dothan Native Sam Prim Wins Best Director for Horror Anthology Series

A horror anthology series gave Dothan native Sam Prim a bigger stage, and the Best Director honor he earned at the 2026 Southeast Emmy Student Production Awards says as much about Alabama’s next wave of filmmakers as it does about one student’s résumé.

Prim was recognized for Souls of Savannah, a project that has pushed his work beyond his hometown and into wider industry conversation. For a Wiregrass filmmaker, that kind of recognition matters because Dothan is not a place with a large film footprint. Prim put that plainly when he said, “Yeah, there’s not a lot of film going on in Dothan.”

That reality is exactly why his win resonates in Alabama independent film circles. In a market where the biggest conversations often center on Birmingham or Montgomery, Prim’s award points to a different pipeline, one built by student work, regional ambition and genre storytelling. A horror anthology is a smart proving ground for an emerging director: it rewards atmosphere, pacing and visual control, while giving filmmakers a format that can be produced without the scale of a feature.

Souls of Savannah also fits neatly into the kind of work that can help a young director build indie credibility. Anthologies let filmmakers show range from episode to episode while still shaping a recognizable voice across the series. For emerging regional directors, horror can be especially practical. It gives room for strong ideas, compact crews and inventive production choices, all of which matter when the path forward runs through festivals and student recognition instead of major studio infrastructure.

Prim’s win also gives the Wiregrass something concrete to point to. In places where young creators may not immediately see film as a realistic career, an award like this becomes a proof point for arts educators, student media programs and anyone trying to make the case that serious filmmaking can start outside the state’s bigger hubs. It reinforces that Alabama independent film is not just a Birmingham story or a Huntsville story. It is also a Dothan story, and Prim’s Best Director honor shows that a regional horror project can still carry real weight.