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Mississippi Damned

About the Film
Year Released: 
2009
Running Time: 
120
Documentary/Fiction: 
Fiction
Synopsis: 

This lusciously photographed period piece set in a lower class southern community in 1986 and 1998, showcases writer-director Tina Mabry's ability to handle the complexities of an ensemble drama with her very first feature. An impoverished black family (including David Malcolm Kelley, who plays Walt on ABC's "Lost") copes with dreams of greater ambitions. Whether confronting sexual tensions (in one case, a latent homosexual relationship) or monetary woes, the characters in "Mississippi Damned" represent the voice of a discontented people, which comes through loud and clear.

~Eric Kohn, IndieWire

Poster Image: 
Director
Film Director: 
Tina Mabry
Production Info
Location: 
Tupelo, Mississippi, USA
Other Interesting Production Info: 
Their independently built production company called Morgan’s Mark, founded in 2007, produced The film. The company is dedicated to works that reflect the experiences of a variety of marginalized groups, proving that there is a place for those realities within mainstream media.
Categories About the Film
Genre: 
coming of age
drama
family
period drama
Keywords: 
coming of age
domestic violence
family
glbtq
sexual abuse
sexuality
Racial/Ethnic Affiliation: 
African American
Filmmaking Team
Writer's Name: 
Tina Mabry
Producer: 
Lee. V. Stiff, Morgan R. Stiff
Cinematographer: 
Bradford Young
Primary Cast: 
Tonea Stewart, Adam Clark, Malcolm Goodwin, Malcolm David Kelley, Jossie Thacker, Tessa Thompson, Simi Khali, D.B. Woodside, Chasity Kershal Hammitte, Kylee Russell, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Michael Beasley, Donna Biscoe, Southey Blanton
Exhibition/Distribution Info
Distributor: 
Morgan's Mark
Where to find it/How to get it: 
Streaming (Netflix or other online sites)
Festivals/Awards: 
  • Special Jury Award in Narrative Breakthrough- 2009 Atlanta Film Festival
  • Jury Award for best American Independent Film – 2009 Philly Film Festival
  • Jury Award Best Feature Film and Screenplay- 2009 Chicago Int’l Film Festival
  • Jury award for Best Supporting Actress to Jossie Harris Thacker - 2009 Chicago International Film festival
  • Grand jury award for Narrative Feature Film at 2000 American Black Film Festival
  • Grand jury award for Best Actor (Tessa Thompson) – 2009 American Black Film Festival
  • Grand jury award for Outstanding Dramatic Feature at 2009 Outfest Film Festival
  • Jury award for best Narrative Feature Film 2009 urban world Film Festival
  • Audience award for Narrative Feature Film at 2009 Newfest Film Festival

http://www.mississippidamned.com/

Links
Link to the official film website: 
Mississippi Damned
Links to Official trailer: 
Mississippi
Links to interviews (written) with Director/Filmmakers: 
Karman Kregloe, “Interview with “Mississippi Damned” Filmmakers Tina Mabry and Morgan Stiff,” New York Times, August 10, 2009 accessed December 17, 2012,
BlackmanVision Film Production
Links to Videos of Interviews: 
Interview with Tina Mabry, writer/director of "Mississippi Damned"
Link to notable film reviews: 
From a Real Place and Real People: Interview with Mississippi Damned Writer/Director Tina Mabry
Analysis
Readings: 

Marlon Rachquel Moore, “From a Real Place and Real People: Interview with Mississippi Damned Writer/Director Tina Mabry,” Black Camera , Vol. 2, No. 2, Special Issue: Beyond Normative: Sexuality and Eroticism in Black Film, Cinema, and Video (Spring 2011), pp. 130-137, Published by: Indiana University Press

Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/blackcamera.2.2.130

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