FILM FEST WINNER: Film on the bad old civil rights days in Mississippi

  • FILM FEST WINNER: Film on the bad old civil rights days in Mississippi

The line is open.

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Nothing to say but to add to Lindsey’s endorsement on our podcast this week of the Little Rock Film Festival. At age 7, this event has grown up into a wholly big-time entertainment (and education) plus for the city.

We watched “Bayou Maharaja” in the space on Main across from the Rep. Great film about the legendary New Orleans pianist James Booker. It’s not in release yet, so this was a rare opportunity to see it. Then we checked out “Spies of Mississippi” in the comfortable auditorium at HAM. It’s headed to TV and it’s a must see on the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission and its complicity in spying on, and even murder of, civil rights workers in the bad old days of the 1960s.

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A bonus at the second film was the filmmaker’s account of her visit to the home of a courtly seg, not regretful of his involvement in the commission, but willing today to break bread in his farm home (complete with Confederate flag on the wall) with the vivacious black woman lawyer, Dawn Porter, from up East who made the movie. Wonderful story. The other movie to be made of this is, of course, how the segs really did win, if you look at the political state of Mississippi and the South today.

Lots of screen time in the movie for Jerry Mitchell, the Harding U. grad who busted open the sovereignty commission story as a Jackson, Miss., newspaper reporter.

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We have at least three flicks on the agenda tomorrow. If you haven’t checked in, here’s lots of info in this week’s Times.

Parking is easy. Great food truck court today at Sixth and Main, with everything from BBQ Frito pie to pad Thai.

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