news
Abigail Wood of Tupelo and Australian actor Ken McNaughton dance to the Latin sounds of Cucho and Los Papis during the kickoff party for the
eighth annual Tupelo Film Festival outside the Lyric Theatre on Thursday. McNaughton is the lead actor in “A Common Bond,” a 14-minute short
film to be screened at 2 p.m. Saturday. Wood said she came to the party to dance and be with friends. (C. Todd Sherman)
The answer is “Yes” during the eighth annual Tupelo Film Festival, which kicked off Thursday during a street party on Broadway Street.
Nearly 70 films will be screened at the festival, where filmmakers and fans will mix, mingle and celebrate the medium they love.
“We’ve got filmmakers from Canada, Australia and all over the United States,” said Pat Rasberry, festival director. “That includes crew, actors, writers, producers, executive producers and directors, of course.”
Christian Rende, a writer and director from Austin, Texas, made his first trip to Tupelo for the festival. His short film, “Sketch,” will be screened at 7:40 p.m. Saturday at the Lyric Theatre.
“My film, ‘Wine Bar,’ won best short in this festival in 2007,” Rende said. “I didn’t get to come then. When ‘Sketch’ got in, I said, ‘I’ve got to come.’”
He quickly made friends with other filmmakers, including David Kilgo from Tuscaloosa, Ala. Kilgo’s film, “The Rest of Forever,” will be screened at 1:25 p.m. today.
“It’s a short. It’s about five minutes,” he said. “It’s about a super villain trying to get a bank loan so he can get a doomsday device.”
In addition to screenings, a movie makeup workshop and an acting workshop are scheduled for Saturday.
You can get a taste of Hollywood glamour during a special exhibit of costumes from Luster Bayless’ American Costume Co.
“I’m a sharecropper’s son from Mississippi,” Bayless said. “I used to go to the movies and see stars like John Wayne. That was my break from picking all that cotton.”
When a friend called with a job opportunity, Bayless hitchhiked to California in the late ’50s.
Over the years, he helped provide costumes for “Cheyenne Autumn” and “Mary Poppins.” He also worked with John Wayne on the original “True Grit.”
Bayless’ costumes will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Saturday at the GumTree Museum of Art.
Downtown Tupelo will overflow with films, parties and other activities. A festival guide is located at tupelofilmfestival.net.
“It will be a very exciting couple of days,” Rasberry said. “We have all kinds of films screening, and just all kinds of good stuff happening. Come enjoy it.”
Contact M. Scott Morris at (662) 678-1599 or scott.morris@jouranlinc.com.