It’s not very often young film students have the opportunity to show their masterpieces in a theater of intrigued attendees.
Luckily, The Magnolia Film Festival hits the silver screens Thursday night at Hollywood Premiere Cinema showing those present with diverse conceptions of plots and production.
The festival is not internationally recognized yet, but to hard-working film directors and crews, the 11th annual event helps promote local and international independent films that would not surface elsewhere.
A change in this year’s festival involves Starkville State Theatre. Owner of the downtown venue Jim Kennedy is a 10-year attendee of Park City, Utah’s Sundance Film Festival.
This year will be the first time State Theatre has involved itself with the festival, but this is not the first year Kennedy has yearned for involvement.
“I’ve been trying to find them and [Magnolia Film Festival] has been trying to find me,” Kennedy said.
He said his interest and attendance of Sundance and his willingness to support the arts drives his desire.
“My motivation to get involved is about supporting the arts,” he said. “Not just performance arts but visual as well.”
Kennedy also holds a lot of emphasis on the idea that because these films are low-budget, the scripts, acting and production have to be good and this idea encourages film makers to engage in their work whole-heartedly.
The festival features films from local MSU students as well as students who are from the Starkville area. Michael Williams of West Point attends University of Southern Mississippi but submitted his short film “(Un)wanted” into the festival. The Magnolia was the senior film major’s first film festival to attend. He first submitted his work into the 2006 Magnolia film festival and has continued submitting.
“(Un)wanted” is a six minute short film from a 16mm camera featuring an underrepresented point of view, but Williams is not trying to teach any lessons to those watching.
“I don’t want people to go in knowing what they’ll see,” Williams said. “I want people to be aware of and rethink how it affects people.”
Because he does not want those watching to expect the on-screen situations, Williams is keeping quiet about the film’s view and hopes that people show up to find out what the film holds.
One movie featured in the festival took place in Tupelo managing to use Mississippi natives for extras and as production crew members of the film.
The dramatic film, “Chasing the White Dragon” by Kathilynn Phillips, focuses on a group of six young crystal methamphetamine addicts in a small town. The film takes viewers through a twisted roller coaster of emotions related to crystal meth.
The festival begins at 7 p.m. at State Theatre and continues through the weekend at Hollyood Premiere Cinema.
For more information visit magfilmfest.com.

Gallery • 2 Photos

"Lucy James Part 1," director Alexander Carson.