STARKVILLE — The 24th Magnolia Independent Film Festival begins today, at least virtually.
Also known as The Mag, Mississippi’s longest-running film festival is offering a slate of 42 films on its website that viewers can purchase. With a VIP experience, festival director Bailey Berry said, festival-goers can also access exclusive workshops and panels virtually.
“You can watch it on your own time, in your home or with a group of friends, ‘on-demand’ as we’re calling it,” Berry said. “You can watch it whenever you feel like it.”
The festival will conclude March 6 with a drive-in showing at Mississippi Horse Park. The “main event”, Berry said, will be at 6 p.m. showing 10 short films and one feature film. The late-night drive-in screening at 10:45 p.m. will include two short films and one feature-length film.
While The Mag is typically held as a fully in-person event at Hollywood Premier Cinema, the hybrid virtual and drive-in format will allow patrons to enjoy the festival while adhering to social-distancing restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Berry said.
“It was difficult at first trying to navigate around COVID, but once we decided on having a drive-in and virtual experience it was pretty simple organizing it,” Berry said.
Patrons can purchase films virtually through March 13.
Berry said The Mag board of directors chose from more than 350 film submissions for this year’s festival from filmmakers all over the world. Even after whittling submissions to the final 42, they include genres ranging from comedy, horror/thriller, documentaries and more.
“These are 42 films that are genuinely very good films with good quality,” Berry said. “Anyone and everyone who is interested in movies will be able to find something they like. Some of them have very important messages. Some are just humorous. In a time like this, during the pandemic, having that outlet of creativity is important.”
“Five Minutes,” created by a group of students at Mississippi State University, is one of the short films that will be shown at the Horse Park. It centers on a “gamer guy” getting ready for a date.
Jon Taggert, one of the directors, said that the film started as a project assigned by a film teacher and grew to gaining acclamation from credible film evaluators across the state.
“We didn’t expect ‘Five Minutes’ to be this well-received,” said Taggert, a senior communication major from Hernando. “We are grateful for the opportunity. We’re just happy that we’re out there.”
Tickets and films, as well as the full schedule for the drive-in showings, are available at http://magnoliafilmfest.com.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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