Our Mississippi Home
Lights, Camera, Mississippi: UM Students Shine in Inaugural Festival
SUMMARY: Summarize this content to 100 words
The Mississippi Film Society’s first film festival celebrated creativity from across the state, but the University of Mississippi was all over the credits.
The Stranger Than Fiction Film Festival showcased eight feature-length films, two Mississippi-produced short films and an introductory workshop. The events were Saturday and Sunday (April 12-13) in the historic Capri Theatre in Jackson.
Programming included a Sunday screening of the short film “Jason Bouldin: Corporeal Nature,” directed by Tanner Goodeill, an Ole Miss junior majoring in film production, and “Eudora,” a documentary on renowned author and longtime Jackson resident Eudora Welty by Mississippi filmmaker Anthony Thaxton.
“The festival is sponsored by the Mississippi Film Society, so I thought it would be incomplete without Mississippi voices,” said Ryan Parker, the society’s executive director. “Mississippi has a rich cinematic legacy, and I’m excited to platform two Mississippi filmmakers that are contributing to it, and who have direct ties to the university.”
Goodeill, from Boerne, Texas, was drawn to the concept of transferring stories from one generation to the next. That interest led him to choose Oxford portrait painter Jason Bouldin as the subject of his 12-minute documentary, an assignment for a documentary class taught by John Rash, UM assistant professor of film production and Southern studies.
“We read that his father was a really famous portrait painter, and we were fascinated by that relationship – how the torch gets passed down in such a specific art form, the pressure that can come with that and what it must’ve been like for him to lose his father after all those years,” he said. “When we met with him, he was incredibly open and had such a unique story to share.”
Goodeill worked with Madeleine Perkins, another Ole Miss junior from Waco, Texas, to plan, direct, show and edit the project.
“Working on that documentary with Tanner and Mr. Bouldin was such a rewarding and a new experience,” said Perkins, also a film production major. “I grew up loving documentaries and watching them all the time and so working on my own was pretty surreal much less having it play in a film festival.
“It was also really interesting to learn about a local artist and how much they have impacted their community.”
The screening was a rewarding experience, Goodeill said.
“This was the biggest audience that something of mine is screened to, so that’s exciting because it’s playing before a feature length documentary,” he said. “The film community is being so supportive, and in Mississippi, it seems like it’s just as tight as the art community. It’s cool to see artists supporting artists.”
The festival’s opening day included an Introduction to the Film Industry workshop, co-hosted by the Mississippi Film Office and the university’s Department of Theatre and Film.
The workshop was designed to introduce Mississippians to the many types of work available within the film industry and the applicable skills they might offer, said Sarah Hennigan, associate professor and head of the Ole Miss film production program. It included a hands-on session highlighting work performed by the grip and electrics departments on a film set, using equipment from the university’s film production studio.
“I hope that this is the start of something that can endure and that future versions grow to include more days, locations and, of course, films,” Parker said. “Hopefully, future festivals will include entire blocks of programming for Mississippi filmmakers.”
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Our Mississippi Home
The Sound of the South: Mississippi’s Songbook
SUMMARY: Mississippi is central to America’s musical heritage, originating the blues and shaping gospel, soul, country, rock, and hip-hop. Legends like Robert Johnson, B.B. King, Faith Hill, and contemporary artists reflect Mississippi’s influence across genres. Songs inspired by the state explore its towns, people, struggles, and the Mississippi River, celebrating its rich and complex history. From Delta blues classics to Southern rock, country, pop, and rap, Mississippi remains the heartbeat of American music. The state is rightly known as “The Birthplace of America’s Music,” with hundreds of songs echoing its enduring cultural and musical legacy.
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Our Mississippi Home
A Sanctuary in Goodman: The Magic of the Public Library
SUMMARY: In Goodman, Mississippi, the small library housed in a former church transformed under Rachel Floyd’s leadership since 2021. Despite the town’s high poverty and limited opportunities, the library has become a vibrant sanctuary for children. Its unique features, like a spiral staircase leading to a kids’ area and displays of local art, create a welcoming, lively environment. Rachel’s dedication to diverse programs—storytimes, crafts, STEAM clubs—boosted book checkouts from 83 to 823 over three years. More than a library, it is a community hub where children feel valued, inspired, and free to explore, learn, and grow.
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Our Mississippi Home
Family of Curious George Creators to Visit de Grummond in Hattiesburg
SUMMARY:
The de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at The University of Southern Mississippi houses the papers of H.A. and Margret Rey, creators of Curious George. From October 23-28, the Rey family visits Hattiesburg for a reunion celebrating their legacy with exhibitions, children’s activities, a musical, and a documentary screening. The Curious George: Original Works on Paper exhibit features rare Rey materials, including original art and letters. The collection, founded by Dr. Lena de Grummond, holds manuscripts of over 1,400 authors and illustrators. The Reys created Curious George during their 1940 flight from France, later publishing the beloved series in New York.
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