For Michael Williams, the road from his first feature-length film’s concept to its festival premiere was worth the work and wait. The West Point independent filmmaker’s “OzLand” garnered the awards for Best Feature and Best Cinematography Feb. 21 at The Magnolia Independent Film Festival hosted at Hollywood Premier Cinamas in Starkville.
This was Williams’ eighth time to participate in The Mag, and not his first award. But this time around is particularly significant because his entry was his debut with a long film format. It was shot primarily in and around West Point at locations including the former Bryan Foods plant, and in Minneola, Kansas.
“It’s been amazing because The Mag is such an important film festival here in Mississippi, being the state’s first and oldest festival,” he said. The event originally founded by Ron Tibbett has nurtured and supported filmmakers like Williams since its inception.
“OzLand” features two actors — Glenn Payne of Blue Springs, near Tupelo, and Zach Ratkovich. At the time of filming, Ratkovich was a student pilot at Columbus Air Force Base. Payne, also a filmmaker, was awarded the festival’s Ron Tibbett Award for Excellence in Film for his first feature-length achievement, “Earthrise.” Williams was its director of photography.
Williams and Payne have teamed up on numerous projects, in part thanks to the Magnolia Film Festival.
“It was really at The Mag in 2010 that Glenn and I really kickstarted our working relationship and friendship,” Williams said. “We started talking to each other about our projects.” The festival often functions as a conduit of creativity and networking.
“It’s not just a great time; it’s at film festivals where you really get to know the people you’re attending with and their work … we support each other, and you never know what it may lead to.”
Festival Chair Angella Baker described the 2015 festival as “outstanding.”
“The 17 screened films were all top quality, with almost 40 entries total received,” she said. “The overall atmosphere was exciting, with everyone looking forward to what was coming up next.”
Innovations including a filmmaker forum and a workshop were well received, Baker noted. “And the red carpet event was a hit, generating much excitement in our little corner of Hollywood Premier Cinemas.”
Mag awards
Other awards at the film festival were Best Director, Rob Underhill; Best Written Film, “Moving Day,” directed by Louis Hunter; Best Short, “Serpent’s Lullaby,” directed by Patricia Chica; Best Homegrown, “A Horror Movie,” a Glenn Payne film directed by Casey Dillard; and Best Student Film, “Acroamatic,” directed by Hilda Queiroz, a Mississippi State University student from Marietta, Georgia.
“OzLand” has been officially selected for several other 2015 festivals. It also screens for the public at The Temple Theatre Ballroom in Meridian March 20 at 7 p.m.
For more information about the Magnolia Film Festival, sponsored by the Starkville Area Arts Council, visit starkvillearts.org.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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