OXFORD, Miss. – For less than $300, you could own the actual whistle and stopwatch – straight from the set – that actor Ray McKinnon used to portray Coach Cotton in the heartwarming hit film “The Blind Side.”
Or, if you’re a more practical movie buff, you could view more than 75 films or attend numerous panels at the seventh annual Oxford Film Festival, set for Feb. 4-7. The films are to be screened and panels held at Malco’s Oxford Studio Cinema. Available online at discount before the opening, single-day passes start at $15.
“We have something for everyone,” said Oxford Film Festival co-director Michelle Emanuel. “The best part is having the actual filmmakers here. It makes viewing the films more exciting.”
Festival organizers say they are especially proud to showcase 24 films produced in Mississippi, including several by University of Mississippi students.
“We remain committed to giving Mississippi filmmakers an audience for their art,” Emanuel said. “Like any artists, they need to screen their work beyond their friends and family in order to get real feedback, especially if that feedback helps them continue to improve as filmmakers.”
Windsor Yuan, a graduate of the UM Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, said he is eager to show off his 29-minute narrative film, “The Butterflies,” scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday.
“I’ve been making films and writing screenplays since I was 12,” said the 22-year-old from Brandon. “Here at Ole Miss, students are limited in making films that can be used toward their actual education, so when this opportunity came about, I grabbed it.”
The first original film to be used as an honors college thesis at Ole Miss, “The Butterflies” examines a closeted artist searching for true love, Yuan said. Now in the university’s MBA program, he described the filmmaking process as a life-changing, eye-opening experience.
“I simply hope people feel like they actually watched something that was comprehensible and worth their time,” said Yuan, who aspires to have his own production studio.
The festival offers students a rare occasion to showcase their films to the public, said Andy Harper, director of UM Media Productions.
“It’s pretty cool,” Harper said. “There aren’t many places here in the South that film students are given such an opportunity.”
Several other students also have films being screened in the festival, created as a result of a UM Center for Southern studies documentary course. The films include the 17-minute “Dinner on the Grounds: A Soul Reviving Feast” and the 12-minute “Tortillas de Maiz.” Both films will be shown Saturday starting at 12:30 p.m., along with the 58-minute “Thacker Mountain Radio: A Documentary,” co-directed by a Southern Studies graduate student.
Although this year’s lineup boasts more than 75 screenings, it has been reduced from previous years to allow films to be viewed at multiple times throughout the weekend, said Micah Ginn, festival co-director. Ginn, also co-director of “Night of the Loup Garou,” which is slated for 9:15 p.m. Friday, said the effort is to better connect the community with the films.
“This change is two-fold,” Ginn said. “It allows for more filmmakers to actually attend the festival, and enables a wider viewing audience of the films.”
One of this year’s highlights is a conversation between McKinnon, an award-winning filmmaker and actor, and entertainment critic and writer Elvis Mitchell, Emanuel said. The discussion is set for 6:20 p.m. Friday.
“We’ve had a film by Ray McKinnon in the last four film festivals,” Emanuel said. “So we’re really excited to finally have him here in Oxford.”
For more information, visit http://www.oxfordfilmfest.com.