In 1997, Ron Tibbett was trying to find a venue to show his film “Swept Off My Feet.” In his search for film festivals, he noticed there were none for Mississippi, so he decided to create his own. The Magnolia Film Fest was born.
In its ninth annual year, The Mag (as it’s affectionately called) is still going strong.
The event takes place over three days, Feb. 16-18, and will consist of 28 films submitted from all over the world, including Mississippi, New York and even Italy.
Like an all-you-can-eat buffet of films, The Mag’s line-up covers every film genre imaginable.
“The program is broken up into two-and-a-half blocks,” festival director Charlotte Magnussen said, “so there is really something for everyone.”
Some of the selections this year include short comedies like the self-explanatory “Southwestern Orange County vs. The Flying Saucers” to short dramas like “Attach‹¨,” in which an entire town becomes endangered by a briefcase left behind by a mysterious stranger.
The festival also contains short documentaries such as “Dowsing Spring Hill,” which follows the mysterious art of dowsing and its use to locate unmarked graves at old graveyards, as well as feature length documentaries.
Not stopping at live action, The Mag will also display a series of animations such as “Command Z,” which explores the idea of having an “undo” feature in real life.
At the end of the festival, all of the entries are judged by a panel of four, including New York filmmaker Bruce Bennett, and awards are presented.
Over the years, the festival has cycled through a variety of locations including McComas Hall and the old four-screen theater in Starkville. This year it will come to a (hopefully permanent) rest at Hollywood Premier Cinemas on Stark Road.
No matter how smooth things look on the outside, the festival consists of a lot of dedication and man-hours.
“In order to plan a festival like this, we have to do a variety of things,” Magnussen said. “For us to get quality films, we have to start advertising in trade magazines and network with new filmmakers, as well as previous members of the festival.”
Once the submission deadline is reached, the festival committee then has to review each film and decide on a final line-up.
“Every year the festival gets more and more popular,” Magnussen said. “I can’t even remember how many submissions we got, but it was certainly a lot.”
Magnussen also said the community at large is just as viable to the success of the festival.
In a move that sets The Mag apart from other festivals, the filmmakers who are able to attend-about nine this year-are treated with the pampered style of a celebrity.
Each filmmaker is housed for free along the Old Waverly Golf Course in West Point and is provided transport to and from the festival. They’re also treated to various luncheons and dinners, as well as an American Film Institute panel discussion consisting of various filmmakers from around the state.
More information on the Magnolia Film Festival, including the official line-up and showtimes, can be found at www.themag.com. Tickets are $7 for each viewing session and can be purchased at Hollywood Premier Cinemas. Merchandise can also be purchased at Strange Brew Coffeehouse on Miss. Highway 12.