{"id":146569,"date":"2025-01-22T13:45:11","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T19:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=146569"},"modified":"2025-01-22T13:45:23","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T19:45:23","slug":"mississippi-stories-people-history-featured-in-four-day-oxford-film-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/mississippi-stories-people-history-featured-in-four-day-oxford-film-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Mississippi Stories, People, History Featured in Four-Day Oxford Film Festival\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Annual event celebrates the \u2018Stories that Shape Us\u2019<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Oxford Film Festival<\/strong> returns this year with a dynamic celebration of Mississippi<\/strong>\u2019s rich cultural tapestry. Many of the 60 films selected for this year\u2019s festival shine a spotlight on the Magnolia State\u2019s filmmakers, stories, and history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four-day festival is February 27 to March 2<\/strong> at the\u00a0Malco Oxford Commons Cinema<\/strong> in Oxford. A celebration of independent filmmakers from around the world, the festival also includes interactive events and panel discussions with filmmakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s festival theme, \u201cStories That Shape Us,\u201d<\/strong> emphasizes the power of story throughout a collection of feature films, documentaries, and short films. Mississippi\u2019s influence on storytelling, from its iconic locations to the authentic voices of its residents, plays a prominent role in this year\u2019s festival.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Highlights of this year\u2019s festival include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chasing Rabbits<\/em>,<\/strong>\u00a0the directorial debut of novelist Michael Farris Smith<\/strong>, a master of Southern Noir who has been compared with the likes of Cormac McCarthy and William Faulkner. Two of Smith\u2019s novels have been made into feature films. Debuting on opening night of the film festival, Chasing Rabbits<\/em> is the story of a truck stop waitress who finds her life changed after having her home vandalized in the middle of the night, and is triggered into an impulsive, irreversible decision.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stella Stevens: The Last Starlet<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>explores the personal and professional life of Mississippi native Stella Stevens, one of Hollywood’s last starlets during its golden age and beyond. Her career spanned from the final days of the male-dominated old Hollywood studio system through the evolution of the new Hollywood, which coincided with the struggle for women’s rights and human rights of all races and identities, for which she was a lifelong advocate. The film is produced by Stevens\u2019 son, Andrew Stevens<\/strong>, who has produced or financed more than 190 feature films. The Stella Stevens<\/em> screening is Saturday, March 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last to Leave<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>is the\u00a0premier short film by writer\/director\/actor and Mississippi native Mary Elizabeth Ellis<\/strong>. She is known for her recurring role as The Waitress on FX\u2019s long-running It\u2019s Always Sunny in Philadelphia<\/em>. Shot in late 2023, Last to Leave<\/em> addresses the pandemic of loneliness post-covid, our primal need as humans for connection, and a reckoning with the way we treat our home planet. Ellis will be in attendance for the screening of her film on Saturday, March 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A House for My Mother<\/em>,<\/strong>\u00a0directed by\u00a0Dr. Benjamin Nero<\/strong>, who grew up in Greenwood<\/strong>, Mississippi, and Pilar Timpane<\/strong>, a filmmaker and producer based in Durham, North Carolina<\/strong>. Born in 1937, Nero was a high school football star who played in college and was recruited to play professionally. He was the first Black graduate of the dentistry school at the University of Kentucky. He remains close with childhood friend and award-winning actor Morgan Freeman. They both attended Broad Street High School during segregation in the 1950s. This short, poignant documentary of Nero\u2019s life will be part of the opening night film showcase.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMississippi has always been a place where stories flourish,\u201d said Oxford Film Festival Board President Mike Mitchell<\/strong>. \u201cFrom music to literature to film, our state is a cornerstone of storytelling. That\u2019s why this year we\u2019re thrilled to amplify the creative voices that are putting Mississippi\u2019s stories on the global stage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the films themselves, the festival provides a platform for Mississippi-based filmmakers to connect with audiences and industry professionals through panel discussions, workshops, and networking events. These programs aim to celebrate Mississippi\u2019s emerging talent and foster opportunities for growth in the state\u2019s creative economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A limited number of exclusive memberships which will grant the holder access to all films and festival events, are now available to purchase online. For a complete listing of featured films, festival schedule, or to purchase memberships,\u00a0visit\u00a0www.ox-film.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ABOUT OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Oxford Film Festival\u00a0exhibits more than 60 films from across the globe that seek to provide a transformative experience for the audience through the art of storytelling. Praised for its hospitality, the festival was founded in 2003 by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council. In 2008, the Oxford Film Festival became an independent nonprofit organization committed to celebrating the art of independent cinema. The 22nd annual Oxford Film Festival is set for\u00a0February 27 to March 2, 2025, at the\u00a0Malco Oxford Commons Cinema in Oxford, Mississippi. For more information,\u00a0visit\u00a0www.ox-film.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Annual event celebrates the \u2018Stories that Shape Us\u2019 The Oxford Film Festival returns this year with a dynamic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238,"featured_media":145070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13391],"tags":[5,7067,4,137],"class_list":["post-146569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oxford-film-festival","tag-mississippi","tag-ole-miss","tag-oxford","tag-oxford-film-festival"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Oxford-Film-Festival-2025-Poster.jpg-scaled.jpg?fit=1728%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146569"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146580,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146569\/revisions\/146580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}