Two Mississippi student film makers showcase their work

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Lights, camera, action.

Two student filmmakers from Mississippi had the opportunity to show off their short film to a crowd of a few dozen at the Two Mississippi Museums.

College student Jermarius Everett and high school student Walter Giesen watched their films take to the big screen.

Both films focus on the civil rights era and the process of de-segregation in different parts of the Magnolia State. Everett’s film is called ‘Masterminds Of The Movement.’

He said, “Our film was just about the students at Tougaloo and how impactful the college was being that they were in a unique position as a private liberal arts college and out of state funded college. Who could recommended for by the government. So, we wanted to just tell that story. Just tell how influential they was during their time and just the impact that they’ve made.”

Giesen’s film is called Mississippi Turning: The Pivotal Role Of School Desegregation In A Southern Town.”

He said, “My film tells the story of the school desegregation in Starkville and it looks at it from the national level all the way down to the local level, and it runs through that story in the really unique circumstances surrounding that.”

After both films were shown at the Two Mississippi Museums Sunday, the two young film makers got up on stage and took questions about the hard work they’d put into their films.

The moderator for the discussion, Randy Kwan, is also a film maker. He says he is inspired when students are eager to make films on Mississippi’s history.

Kwan said, “I grew up here in the Mississippi Delta and I wanted to be a filmmaker, and since I’ve moved back, I’ve always wanted to try to help young filmmakers and, you know, give them the opportunity that I never had. I’ve always had a love for documentaries and, to me, it’s inspiring to see all these new students that come in that have the desire to tell our stories.”

These filmmakers have some advice for those looking to get into the business… and may want to make a historical film of their own.

“I’d say just tell the story that you want to tell and tell the local story and like my story did, like it can garner national attention just by being the local story about your little town.”

“Don’t be discouraged by, you know, the lack of, you know, resources that you have at your leisure or the equipment that you might not have or things like that. Continue to tell your story.”

The next film on deck at the Two Mississippi Museums will be June 22 where at 2 p.m., the museum will show Farming Freedom: The Inspiring story of Black Land Ownership in Mississippi.

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