UM Professor Emerita Jennifer Mizenko and local historian Rhondalyn Peairs at the JXN Film Festival in July 2026
The documentary film Moving Spirits: Encountering the Ancestors, produced and directed by UM Professor Emerita Jennifer Mizenko and local historian Rhondalyn Peairs, was awarded the honor of Best Documentary Short Film at the 2026 JXN Film Festival, sponsored by Tougaloo College.
The film documents the history of Rowan Oak before it was owned by William Faulkner, focusing on the story of its owner, Robert Sheegog, the individuals he enslaved on the property, and their descendants. The film includes footage from a live theatrical performance at Rowan Oak in April 2024 that featured 17 community members ranging in age from 12 to 82 telling the story of the people enslaved at Rowan Oak.
Award-winning filmmaker Antonio Tarrell, a native of Bruce, Mississippi, expertly weaves together the history of Sheegog, the genealogy of the descendants, and the live performance into a mesmerizing story. With an original score by Damein Wash, Tarrell’s beautiful cinematography and editing result in a moving and engaging film.
Moving Spirits: Encountering the Ancestors has been chosen for 10 different film festivals, coast to coast, and will continue to be on the film festival circuit through January 2027.
This is the second award for Moving Spirits: Encountering the Ancestors, which also won the Mississippi Ties category at the 2026 Oxford Film Festival in February.
The UM Center for the Study of Southern Culture SouthTalks series will host a special screening of the film at 5:30 pm Tuesday, November 17, in Barnard Hall.
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