Michael McCullough Nominated for Acting Award at Wild Bunch Film Festival
TUCSON, ARIZONA - Ricardo, Texas native Michael McCullough earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Wild Bunch Film Festival for his performance in the independent western Sundown.
Michael McCullough on set of Sundown.
With his gruff, masculine voice and commanding on-screen presence, McCullough brings depth to his role in Sundown, a film about three miners in the late 1800s who wander into a small town with an unusual set of rules. The film screened during the 10th annual international festival, held Oct. 22–26 at Galaxy Theaters in Tucson, Arizona.
The Wild Bunch Film Festival, recognized as one of the largest western-genre film festivals in the U.S., celebrates independent filmmakers, writers, and actors working in Western and Western sub-genre films. This year’s event featured around 80 nominees across various award categories.
McCullough, who has been acting for more than a decade, said the nomination was an unexpected honor. “I didn’t win, but at least I was nominated,” he said. “It was an honor to be nominated alongside actors like Peter Sheryako, who played Texas Jack in Tombstone, and Michael Milhoan from Field of Dreams.”
Michael McCullough on far right at Galaxy Theater in Tucson, Arizona.
Although McCullough works full-time outside of film, he has appeared in nearly 40 productions, often in background or supporting roles. His credits include The Walking Dead, Doc Holliday 2, and American Crime.
He first caught the acting bug while attending Beeville High School, performing in school plays before joining local theater groups, including productions with students from Texas A&M University–Kingsville. Over the years, he has also served as an assistant director and worked in costume and wardrobe departments on independent films.
Sundown proved to be one of his first major screen roles. The film itself received multiple honors at the festival, including Best Western Feature, Best Western Suspense, Best Director (Brett Mauser), Best Actress (Lisa Butala), Best Supporting Actress (Yazmine Luna Lopez), and Best Poster, with Jake Jecmenek also nominated for Best Actor.
The festival’s award show was hosted by Bobbi Jeen Olson along with Jim and Rowdy Olson.
