STARKVILLE – Filmmakers from all over are working to bring magic to the big screen and a record number of independent films to the 28th annual Magnolia Film Festival.
The festival is returning to UEC Starkville Hollywood Premiere Cinemas Feb. 20-22, bringing with it seven world premieres, 18 Mississippi film debuts and an overall 34 films from six countries and seven states. Among these films are entries from Canada, the Netherlands, France, Puerto Rico and Spain.
Thomas Easterling, first-year board president of the festival affectionately known as “The Mag,” said he hopes the festival acts as a way to share those filmmakers’ work with the community.
“My great wish is that more people in the community buy tickets and come to The Magnolia so that they can see what the magic of independent film is.”
The full lineup will include three feature presentations, each about 90 minutes, along with 31 shorts ranging from three to 30 minutes in runtime. The films will be showcased Thursday through Saturday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday.
There will also be a family-friendly showing at 11 a.m. Saturday, which will showcase seven independent films rated PG.
Festival Director Chris Misun said this year’s festival will host 30 filmmakers to show and represent their films.
Filmmakers will be available for a brief question and answer session with audience members after each genre’s showing, Misun said.
Filmmakers will also be featured in a panel discussion Saturday around 1 p.m. at the UEC theater. Panel leaders will discuss the significance of music and sound in film to coincide with this year’s theme: “Celebrating the Sound of Filmmaking.”
Misun said this year’s film entries are more diverse than previous years.
“I think we’ve got a lot more female-centric stories this year,” Misun said. “So several films have very central female characters and female directors and so, we’re trying to diversify.”
Before the films start rolling, the festival will kick off with a “Ladies Night” reception at 6 p.m. Thursday in the UEC theater, sponsored by Costume Party, a local costume store in Starkville, Easterling said. The event will serve as an opening reception to the festival and has been dubbed “Ladies Night” in an effort to encourage more women to attend the festival, though anyone with a ticket is welcome to attend.
There will also be a closing night awards party following the final feature film of the festival. The awards party will begin at 10 p.m. Saturday and will be sponsored by McAlister’s, complete with a baked potato bar for filmmakers and guests.
Films will be judged across 13 categories, including an Audience Choice category. Winners will be awarded a stained glass Magnolia flower, created by local artisan Alley Kat’s Glass.
Misun stated that community support is crucial for The Mag’s continued success.
“We’re the first and longest running festival in the state of Mississippi, and we can only continue to be that with community support,” Misun said. “Whether that’s sponsorships, whether it’s donations, whether it’s volunteers, or whether it’s people coming to the festival.”
Audience members are invited to attend both the opening and closing receptions, so long as they have purchased a ticket to attend that evening’s screening.
Tickets for individual screenings will cost $15 ($10 for students), festival passes to view each night’s screenings will be $40 ($30 for students) and a VIP Experience option is available for access to all screenings as well as a VIP room with refreshments for $100. Tickets are available for purchase in advance online at magnoliafilmfest.com.
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