Nine Facts About 2014 Tupelo Film Festival

Thursday, April 17th will kick off the the three day festival. Films will begin around noon and will continue throughout the evening ending around 10 p.m. every night. We will be posting a daily schedule of events Thursday-Saturday. There will be some incredible films screened that you won't want to miss! Here's a few fun facts about the 2014 TFF that should whet your appetite. 

1.) TFF will feature judges not only from Mississippi, but also, all across the United States, including Los Angeles, Boston and New York City.

2.) Ray Murphy Jr., owner of Muphy Entertainment Studios (film distribution), has 23 years of experience in theatrical production, including 8 years as 23 years experience in theatrical production, including 8 years as president of president of Eddie Murphy Productions. A few of those films with Eddie include “Eddie Murphy Raw,” “The Golden Child,” “Harlem Nights,” “Life, “ “Coming To America,” “The Nutty Professor,” and “Dr. Doolittle.”

3.) Friday, April 18, Screen 3 will feature a free presentation of “Jake’s Safari,” which utilizes a multi-ethnic cast, loveable animated characters, global travel, and futuristic technology – all designed to create a truly unique television experience. It’s mystery, adventure, the magic of wildlife – all on “Jake’s Safari inviting its young viewers to go on an adventure that no other TV show has prior undertaken.

4.) The Japan-America Society of Mississippi and The Tupelo Film Festival Society will screen a trio of Japanese films during this year's TFF. The series is presented in partnership with the Consulate-General of Japan in Nashville and the Japan Foundation. These three films will be presented to the public free of charge.

5.) Friday afternoon, “Life, Liberty & Resilience” will make it’s Mississippi debut. The film is about an African-American WWII veteran and grandson of a slave re-traces his segregated roots and his U.S. Navy service on Iwo Jima. From poverty to war, pharmacy to interracial marriage, "Life, Liberty & Resilience" takes a look at how Joe LaNier, in his own words, is able to overcome life’s hurdles and lead an amazing, loving and forgiving life.

6.) A special screening of “Capote” starring the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman will be screened Friday night at 7:30 pm. Frank Vitolo, friend of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, will be present for Q&A after film to share personal stories about his friendship with Hoffman.

7.) On Saturday morning, April 19, there will be a pair of free workshops held. Don Tingle, Workshop Director for the Alabama Filmmakers Co-op, will discuss cinematography with no budget. Sam Dalton, visiting Professor of Film at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film in Nashville, TN, will speak on both sides of a camera: educating & preparing yourself for the business of the “biz.”

8.) TFF will host The Mississippi High School Film Competition, a competition that has been created to promote the art of filmmaking to Mississippi High School students involved in film and television classes, film groups or individual filmmaking. In addition to cash prizes, the winner will also receive scholarships to Watkins College of Art, Design and Film of Nashville, TN.

9.) Following the screening of “Good Rockin’ Tonight: The Legend of Sun Records,” Jerry Phillips, son of legendary Sun Records founder Sam Phillips and VP of Sam Phillips Recording studios in Memphis, will host a question and answer period about the film and his father’s work. 


For more information or to purchase tickets, visit tupelofilmfestival.net.