Crowds of eager filmgoers packed into Hollywood Premier Cinemas Feb. 15 to 17 for the 10th Annual Magnolia Film Festival, which highlighted the works of independent filmmakers from across the country.The festival opened Thursday at 7 p.m. with an advanced screening of Craig Brewer’s latest film, “Black Snake Moan,” starring Samuel Jackson and Christina Ricci. Brewer is most often associated with his Oscar-nominated film “Hustle & Flow.” The acclaimed director has had experience with the festival in the past, festival director Charlotte Magnussen said.
“[Brewer] screened a film here in 2004,” she said. “He fell in love with the Mag and developed a lot of friendships here. He wasn’t able to come this year, but he expressed interest in screening [“Black Snake Moan”] here. This was a nationwide premier.”
The film follows the relationship between Lazarus (Jackson) and Rae (Ricci), who have been brought together through a string of coincidences. Lazarus attempts to nurse Rae back to health after finding her on the side of the road, only to learn that she is a prostitute. He then takes it upon himself to “cure” her of her sinful ways by incorporating some … unconventional means. The film opens nationwide March 2.
The events concluded Thursday with the end of “Black Snake Moan” but started up again on Friday at 7 p.m. with 10 films of various genres. Judging also began on this day, as “Black Snake Moan” was not eligible to receive any awards. The judges were Jack Barbera, professor of film studies from the University of Mississippi; Alec Hawkins, a filmmaker and friend of late festival founder Ron Tibbett; and Pete Smith, professor of communications at Mississippi State.
Several of the films shown Friday received awards. The statue for Best Short Documentary went to “Ulbert,” a film by Delcan Ryan about bipolar painter Joe Ulbert.
Kathilynn Phillips’ “Katrina’s Wake” garnered the award for Best Short Drama. The film tells the fictional tale of a family stuck in their attic while the waters rise due to the Hurricane Katrina storm surge.
Saturday featured a wider range of films with three viewing sessions: one at 10 a.m., one at 1 p.m. and one at 7 p.m. The majority of the award-winning films were shown on Saturday, starting with the first film of the 1 p.m. slot, “The Lonely Bliss of the Cannonball Luke.”
This short comedy, directed by Levi Albrino, follows a human cannonball named Luke as he attempts to reignite an old flame by giving up his occupation. Albrino said the quirky film was inspired by a real-life human cannonball who was the head of a family of cannonballs.
“I wanted to do a story like that, then I met him and thought that would be a great film,” he said.
The next film shown in the slot was “The Outskirts” by Rick Baldwin and Joshua Hollis, which took home the Best Home-Grown Film award. The short, semi-comedic drama follows a day in the lives of two men and a woman, eventually leading to deceit and murder. The filmmakers filmed much of the movie from a first-person perspective in order to put the audience in the mind of the characters, they said.
The third film shown in the 1 p.m. timeframe also won an award. “Collision” writer Shaeyn Chen took home the Elana Zawtwanik Award for Best Written Film. “Collision” can be likened to a shorter version of “Crash,” but with its focus being solely on the homeless, whether they have recently lost their homes or have been homeless for years.
The fourth film of the slot also won an award, creating a high density of award-winning films during this time. “The Circuit,” by directors David and Jeremy Bronson, displays the life of Ian, a man who has been obsessed with the titular comic book for his entire life. The story is narrated by a man Jeremy Bronson described as “a stereotypical ’40s- and ’50s-era comic creator.” His resemblance to Jack Kirby and Stan Lee advance the comic book imagery used in the film.
The narrator describes Ian as a man who lives his life in a manner similar to that of The Circuit’s alter ego, finding it difficult to distinguish reality from fiction. The affect holds true for the audience, as well, making it unclear if Ian’s musings are simply imaginary or if there is more to them.
The short won the award for Best Animation for its stop-motion techniques as well as the original comic book art featured throughout the movie.
The next award winner differed greatly from “The Circuit.” David Redman’s “Kamp Katrina” documents a tent camp formed in the back yard of New Orleans residents Ms. Pearl and her husband, David Cross (not to be confused with the comedian/actor). The inhabitants of the camp struggle through everything from abuse to drug addiction, and this documentary films it all without bias. This film’s raw presentation earned it the Best Feature Documentary award.
The final film shown on Saturday took home the Best Feature Film award. Jay Wade Edwards’ “Stomp! Shout! Scream!” humorously mocks the beach party horror films of the ’60s, following the exploits of an all-girl garage band and the notoriously un-scary Skunk Ape (Ned Hastings). If Edwards’ or Hastings’ names sound familiar, it may be due to their involvement as editors of “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” in which both of them have also provided voice talent.
Edwards said the Skunk Ape is actually based on a real Florida legend.
“I grew up in Florida, so I was exposed to a lot of Skunk Ape stories,” he said. “They would always be like, ‘See that tree bent over the water? Skunk Ape did that.'”
With the Skunk Ape still on the loose, Edwards said he plans to relate further adventures of the band and the primate, though he has not yet begun writing the stories.