Everything And Nothing

The Livingston Gardener set to film in Jackson, Canton this August

The Livingston Gardener, the first feature film for Jackson native and producer Missy Tanner, will begin shooting this month in Jackson and Canton. It was written and will be directed by Mississippian Rob Ryan. The psychological thriller has a budget of $100,000, which was all raised from Mississippi investors. In the movie, an investigative reporter finds himself at the mercy of a convicted killer during a live, televised prison interview.

Missy Tanner began her career as an actor, starring in local theatre productions and commercials in Mississippi. In 1996 she packed up her car, and drove out West to Los Angeles where she landed speaking roles in several films and TV shows – Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Good Burger, to name a few. While in L.A., she began to pursue a career in advertising and worked for two of the top five film and television advertising firms while working on films like Mission Impossible: III, Lady In The Water and The Reaping. When her daughter was born, Missy decided to move back to Mississippi.

Ryan, a Millsaps graduate, now lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, and has also written a book, Jonestown, along with several other short films, including Murderabilia and Grasshopper.

Tanner has already sold the film to Synergetic Distribution for May 2015 digital download and DVD and is pursuing a theatrical distribution deal.

If you want to keep up with the movie, like their Facebook page. If you want to keep up with all of the movie news in the state, join the mailing list of Film Mississippi here.

[ H/T Sherry Lucas in The Clarion-Ledger ]

B.B. King to Chair Cotton Pickers of America and Sharecroppers Interpretative Center

B.B. King has replaced Maya Angelou as the Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cotton Pickers of America and Sharecroppers Interpretative Center - an effort to build a monument in the Mississippi Delta to honor cotton pickers.

Khafre, Inc, based in Indianola, Mississippi, began the effort in 2009 to build the complex to say thanks to those who helped build the cotton empire that fueled the American economy for nearly two centuries., says C. Sade Turnipseed, founder and executive director.

The monument will be 25-feet tall and will be located on 20 acres of cotton fields along Highway 61.

"The Cotton Pickers Monument Complex would not only help heal wounds that have festered for decades, but would also help to empower the generations of family members who have been negatively impacted by this unfortunate era in American history," Khafre said in a statement. "By embracing the shared history of many races and individuals from different social classes, it is Khafre, Inc's sincerest hope and deeply held conviction that this monument/educational center will help bridge deep racial divisions and distrust through education, outreach and recognition of the strength of the human soul. This is truly a historic endeavor that has the rare opportunity of actually transforming lives, communities, and the conversations about race in America and throughout the world."

Khafre, Inc. held weekly sessions throughout this summer to gather memories and oral histories from people with roots in the Delta, especially older African-Americans with first-hand knowledge of work in the cotton fields. If you missed a session, you can add your oral history online here.

If you're interested in helping, you can donate here. To support the cause, you can also buy a miniature of the statue and legacy bricks in the plaza. The group is also accepting art, artifacts, or literary works for inclusion in the soon-to-be-released anthology, The Cotton Pickers of America.