Delta Flix Film Festival Coming To Jonesboro In April

A group of Southern filmmakers and films about the South will dominate a festival next month in Jonesboro.

The inaugural Delta Flix Film and Media Festival runs Wednesday through Saturday, April 8-11, in the auditorium of the Carl R. Reng Student Union at Arkansas State University.

The Delta Flix Film and Media Festival, hosted by the College of Media and Communication, is partnering with the Delta Symposium, organized by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The theme of this year’s symposium is “The South Goes to the Movies.”

“This is a great opportunity to watch some great films about the South, from Southern filmmakers, and attend great presentations about Southern film,” Dr. Michael Bowman, Delta Flix Film and Media Festival organizer, said. “I want to thank Dr. Gregory Hansen and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences for allowing us to be their partners.”

The festival begins at noon April 8, with an afternoon full of student films and media presentations.

“The Delta Flix Film and Media Festival is giving young filmmakers and media artists at the early stages of their career an opportunity to showcase their work and interact with professional filmmakers,” Bowman said.

The festivities Wednesday evening will feature a screening of “A Face in the Crowd,” a 1957 film shot in Piggott (Clay County). Local broadcaster and photographer Tim Rand will speak about his family’s participation in the film’s production.

On April 9, there will be a lineup of film and photographs from professional Arkansas filmmakers and artists beginning at 9 a.m. with “When Cemeteries Come Alive” followed at 9:30 by “Eureka: The Art of Being,” a documentary about art and artists in Eureka Springs.

Documentary filmmaker Beth Harrington will screen her film “The “Winding Stream” and serve as keynote speaker at 2:30 p.m.

Harrington will also discuss her documentary about legendary singer/musician Johnny Cash and the Carter family.

Following Harrington’s address, the Civil War drama “A Matter of Honor” will be shown.

Photographer Brad Hyde will share his photos of rural Arkansas in a presentation titled “A Time Once Remembered.”

Local filmmaker Juli Jackson talks about her journey as a filmmaker followed by the screening of her film “45 RPM” at 7:30 p.m. April 9.

On April 10, there will be a series of documentaries beginning at 9 a.m., with “The Barber of Birmingham,” an Oscar-nominated film about Alabama barber and civil rights veteran James Armstrong who experiences the election of the first African-American president.

At 10:15 a.m., “The 78 Project Movie” focuses on musicians in Tennessee, Mississippi, California and Louisiana who share their lives through intimate musical performances.

Delta Flix Film and Media Festival and Delta Symposium events are free and open to the public.

For more details, contact Bowman, [email protected], (870) 972-3070 or Hansen, [email protected], (870) 972-3043.

The complete festival schedule is available here.