t e .n o tupel tupelo.net t e .n o tupel tupelo.net tupelo.net SPONSORS SCREENERS Asurion B&B Concrete Co., Inc. Valerie Angeloro James Hull BancorpSouth Louis Armour John & Katie McCustion BBQ by Jim Ken Calloway Art Pinkerton Benjamin Moore Paints Chris Cockrell Jim Palmer Buffalo Wild Wings Mary Couldrovich Carolyn Parson Celebrity Fastwrap Morgan Cutturini Stephen Polley Chick-fil-A Melanie Deas Nikhat Powell City of New Albany Thom Eason Tim Prewitt CREATE Foundation, Inc. Celia Fleishhacker Meredith Tollison Eat With Us Group Bob Franks Jeff Tomlinson (DBA Harvey’s, Fairpark Grill, Sweet Peppers Deli) Jimmy Grisham Roy Turner Elaine Dundy and Roy Turner Williams Heard Teri Ward Endowment for the Arts Sonya Keith Peggy Webb Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation Mieako Kikuchi Greatest Hits Music & Books Itawamba Community College Janet Martin Harry Martin Select Properties, PLLC Kermit’s Outlaw Kitchen SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OF Malco Theatre – Tupelo Commons Mississippi Development Authority OUR VOLUNTEERS Mississippi Film Office Mitchell Distributing, Inc. We strive for accuracy. Pardon any mistakes. Mont’s Paper Company Nautical Whimsey Italian Bistro & Wine Bar ABOUT THE COVER North Mississippi Sports Medicine Orthopedic Clinic, PLLC Phelps Dunbar, LLP A special thanks to our festival committee Quality of Life member Louis Armour, who serves as a Reed’s Department Store screener and designed the art for this year’s Renasant Center for IDEAS festival which is on the cover. Louis brings Romie’s Grocery to the festival his artistic touch and talents, Snelling Personnel Services coordinating and assisting with many South Restaurant elements of the festival. Steele’s Dive Synder Media The Stables Thornton Dental Clinic MR. REELY DESIGNED BY LOCAL Todd’s Big Star Tupelo Coca-Cola Bottling Company ARTIST RICHARD MCGEHEE Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau Tupelo Consignment Music Tupelo Flea Market Tupelo High School Class of 1972 Tupelo Restaurant Association VIP Cinema Seating Watkins College of Art, Design and Film Weatherall’s Printing tupelo.net 2015 Tupelo Film Festival 1 WELCOME TO THE 2015 TUPELO FILM FESTIVAL! The Tupelo Film Festival Society TOMMY IVY welcomes you to the 12th Annual President - Lee County Board of Supervisors Tupelo Film Festival. The festival The Lee County Board of Supervisors proudly supports the 12th Annual Tupelo Film Festival. We are happy to assist in this year brings a variety of film any logistic that opens a door for a film project in our area and invite all who are looking at producing film to take a look opportunities from workshops, to at what we have to offer. On behalf of the Lee County Board of Supervisors we welcome filmmakers, special events taking panels to independent films, special place this year at the Malco Theatre. events, children’s activities, a high school competition and nights of MAYOR JASON L. SHELTON awesome music. City of Tupelo Welcome to our city and the 12th Annual Tupelo Film Festival held at the Malco Theatre at Tupelo Commons. The City of Tupelo invites you to join us for a wonderful weekend filled We salute our filmmakers and the with great independent films, special events, and more. Please take a moment to slow down from the hectic pace of efforts they make as they bring their everyday activities and enjoy the art of the filmmakers and the hospitality of Tupelo. scripts to screen, and we are delighted to be a stepping stone along their path to success. Film is everyday life from NEAL MCCOY the most extreme to the bare bones Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau On behalf of the Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau, we through the greatest of technology welcome you the 12th Annual Tupelo Film Festival. Cited as one of America’s Top 10 Small Film Festivals in the country by to the smallest in equipment. Film Livability.com, the festival is a celebration of great films and a gathering for film fans from across the globe. We invite you is the a story told, a cartoon enjoyed, to experience Tupelo while you are here by visiting our many a drama that keeps you on the edge attractions, enjoying our eclectic culinary scene, and shopping our unique retail shops. Thank you for being here and we hope of your seat, a comedy that brings to see you back real soon shooting your next project. laughter, an emotional tale that brings WARD ELMING tears, a historic adventure, a fight for Mississippi State Film Office justice…it is entertainment! Come The Mississippi Film Office welcomes you to the 12th Annual Tupelo Film Festival. From the beginning, we have been a very and lose yourself in the story and find proud supporter of this outstanding festival and always look forward to seeing the films and meeting the filmmakers. Now yourself at the 12th Annual Tupelo comfortably in a new venue, the Malco Cinemas, and under the umbrella of CREATE Foundation for the second year, we know Film Festival! the festival will continue to flourish and thrill both audience and filmmaker. To the audience, we thank you for your support and hope you enjoy the films. To the filmmaker, we thank you for your vision and commitment. And to the community we thank you for embracing the power and wonder of the cinema. Mississippi is committed to film and dedicated to expanding its reach. We have created a strong and competitive incentive program: a 25% - 35% cash rebate on your spend and all of your payroll with a low $50,000 minimum spend that applies to features, shorts, documentaries, and more. All across Mississippi we have communities that serve our mission to build and support the industry, filled with hospitable people that embrace and understand the challenges of filmmaking, and diverse locations that will inspire and enthrall you. We hope you enjoy your time in Tupelo and in our great state. Tupelo, Mississippi MR. REELY PRESENTS THE AWARDS FEATURE SHORT STUDENT The Ron Tibbett Award 1st Place 1st Place 1st Place Best of Show Sponsored by Sponsored by Sponsored by Sponsored by B&B CONCRETE CO. INC. VIP CINEMA SEATING CREATE FOUNDATION, INC. ASURION The Ron Tibbett Award is presented each year in memory of Ron Tibbett 2nd Place 2nd Place 2nd Place who helped launch the Tupelo Film Sponsored by Sponsored by Sponsored by Festival in 2004. BENJAMIN MOORE PAINTS SNYDER MEDIA NORTH MISSISSIPPI SPORTS MEDICINE & ORTHOPEDIC The Elvin Whitesides 3rd Place 3rd Place CLINIC, PLLC Director’s Award Sponsored by Sponsored by Sponsored by his fellow class- GREATEST HITS MUSIC TODD’S BIG STAR 3rd Place mates of Tupelo High School BOOK Sponsored by Class of ‘72 MUSIC VIDEO MONT’S PAPER COMPANY DOCUMENTARY 1st Place The Casey Spradling 1st Place Sponsored by Award Best Mississippi ELVIS PRESLEY BIRTHPLACE Sponsored by High School Film BANCORPSOUTH FOUNDATION Sponsored by Casey Spradling Endowment 2nd Place Honorable Mention Sponsored by Sponsored by THORNTON DENTAL CLINIC TUPELO CONSIGNMENT The Robert Reed Award MUSIC Best Documentary 3rd Place Sponsored by Reed’s Department Store Sponsored by PERSONNEL SERVICES TICKETS Take Advantage of Filmmakers Our Complimentary Attending Will Offer ADMISSION Panel & Workshops on Q&A’s after Their Screen Three & Four: Saturday! Screenings. Thursday, Friday, & Saturday April 16 - 18 Day Pass: $15 Student: $7.50 (with ID) MR. LAWRENCE STANLEY Senior: $7.50 (with ID) Screening Pass: $35 The Tupelo Film Festival committee was deeply saddened by (includes all three days of films) the passing of Mr. Lawrence Stanley this past year. He and his lovely wife Mae exemplified the true hospitality of Tupelo by greeting and making all guests feel welcome at the festival. He *Tickets Available Day of Event will be greatly missed but his smile and spirit will live on. For details visit: tupelofilmfestival.net 2015 Tupelo Film Festival 3 SPECIAL AWARDS THE RON TIBBETT AWARD (BEST OF SHOW) Ron Tibbett was born in Chicago in 1941. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in English. He served in the US Marines. He met his wife Charlotte Magnussen in Montreal and was married in 1978. He and his family (Charlotte and daughter Christine) moved to West Point, MS, in 1994. He always had an active interest in film and shot his first film “Swept Off My Feet” in West Point. Because there were no festivals in Mississippi to screen the film, he started the Magnolia Independent Film Festival, the first of its kind in MS. He loved sharing his craft, enthusiasm, and love of film with all but especially young minds. He encouraged many to follow their dreams in film. We miss him dearly. This award is presented each year in memory of Ron Tibbett who helped launch the Tupelo Film Festival in 2004. THE ELVIN WHITESIDES DIRECTOR’S AWARD Elvin Whitesides, a native of Tupelo, came to his love of film as a boy, sitting beside his father in the projection booth of the Lyric Theatre, screening years of first-run Hollywood features. That formative experience led to a BFA in Theatre from the University of Southern Mississippi, professional training in both New York and Los Angeles, and managing the Bing Theatre at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for over twenty years. Through- out his career, Elvin continued to make films, write, perform, produce, and direct until his untimely death in May 2010. A two-time judge at the Tupelo Film Festival, 2011 marks the inaugural Elvin Whitesides Director’s Award, a tribute to his talent for guiding and inspir- ing countless cast and crews toward a common creative goal through the magic of movies. This award is present in memory of Elvin Whitesides who served as a mentor to the festival, as well as a judge.