Two award-winning feature films presented by the filmmakers will kick off Bay St. Louis’s first independent film festival this Saturday, April 27 at the historic 100 Men Hall.
Robert Altman’s Mississippi-filmed comedy COOKIE’S FORTUNE will feature screenwriter Anne Rapp while the documentary ONLY THE YOUNG will be presented by co-director /producer Elizabeth Mims.
Starring Glenn Close, Liv Tyler and Ned Beatty, COOKIE’S FORTUNE is the story of an eccentric elderly Moss Point woman’s death and the comic unraveling of the little town that follows. ONLY THE YOUNG follows three Southern California teens in an alternately hysterical and poignant unforgettable coming of age story.
The feature films and two shorts will screen from 1:00 to 6:00pm. Admission is free [suggested donation of $10]. A wrap party with a cash/credit bar follows.
Ultimately conceived as a three-day event beginning in spring of 2025, the Bay St. Louis Film Festival will be a competitive celebration of documentary and narrative films, filmmaking and culture focused primarily on the American south.
Festival director and independent filmmaker Steve Mims sees a film festival as a perfect fit for the city.
“Part of what people love about Bay St. Louis is that it’s wired for fun cultural events focused on food, drink, music, art and theater,” Mims said. “It’s a creative place. Everybody loves movies, and film can add another dimension to what makes living and visiting here interesting.”
Mims is a transplant to the Bay from Austin, Tex.
“I’ve been involved in the Austin Film Festival,” he said. “I’ve made my own films and I’ve been to a lot of film festivals. It seems like Bay St. Louis is really wired for these kinds of events. … It seemed perfect to do a film festival here.”
Mims said the great thing about film festivals is that it not only gets people out and talking about films, you can have the filmmakers themselves on hand to discuss them.
“There’s nothing like having that person on hand to talk with you and explain” what was going in the film, he said.
Please visit www.bslfilmfest.com for more information.
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