50 Years of Lights: A Time to Thrill

Special to The Canton News

Known to be the “City of Lights,” Canton is no stranger to the big screen. For half a decade, Canton has celebrated filmmaking, from documentaries to major feature films. 

In over fifty years, the Canton Film office has played host to four great and noted Mississippi literary figure films, including Eudora Welty, John Grisham, Willie Morris and William Faulkner. 

Beginning in 1973, Canton film made a name for itself with the production of “Thieves Like Us”. The film is based on Edward Anderson’s 1937 Depression novel of the same name. Anderson’s fluently written novel centers on three desperate, doomed convicts who have no other purpose in life but to rob banks. The film was originally planned to be shot in Missouri; however, the director was asked by the Mississippi Film Commission to visit Mississippi before making a final decision. Canton won the hearts of the director and producers, and the rest was history. 

Recently, Canton filmmakers were awarded and recognized at “A Time To Thrill,” an event hosted by the Canton Convention and Visitors Bureau and Film Office highlighting filming in Canton as well as the Young Filmmakers. 

Canton Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Jo Ann Gordan expressed how much she loves the Young Filmmakers Workshop.

“It’s one of the most proud moments of my life,” said Gordon. “It kind of goes back to when I was a little girl growing up in Winona, Mississippi. All I ever wanted to do was act. I wanted to be a movie star. We had a cousin that lived in Los Angeles. My family would travel every summer, and, one summer, we went out to L.A. and saw the Hollywood sign. I came home and told my mom and dad I wanted to drop out of school. I was in the sixth grade, maybe going into seventh. I said, “All I want to do is go to L.A. and be a movie star.”

While she didn’t drop out to be a movie star, she continued on with her passion for performance and film. 

“We were on Ted Mack’s “Original Amateur Hour”, which was like “America’s Got Talent” during those days. I’ve always kind of had this little bug, and there was always something intriguing to me about the process of movie making,” she said. 

Gordon beamed with pride as she talked about the Young Filmmakers and those who were honored for their achievements in film. 

At a recent event Gordon said, “Along with the Mississippi Film Office, this year we are celebrating over fifty years of filmmaking in Canton, the movie capital of Mississippi. Canton has been at the center of film in the state dating back to Rober Altman’s “Thieves Like Us” in 1973, through major productions, like “A Time to Kill”, “My Dog Skip”, and “O, Brother, Where art Thou?” in the mid- to late-90s, to recent productions like “The Minute You Wake Up Dead” and the upcoming “Finding Faith.”

Those honored included William Lindsey, Colton Comans, SK Pollard, and Ceili Hale, all products of the Canton Young Filmmakers Workshop through the years. Also honored were Cantonians Christie Herring and Matthew Morgan, who Gordon said, “We are so proud as Cantonians to see how they have grown professionally in the film industry after getting their start in Canton.”

Gordon said the filmmakers program truly teaches young filmmakers how to create. “They work in small groups with two instructors, create their storyline, write scripts, decide who will act in it, work camera, direct, do music, edit. It’s tear jerking to watch. When you see that it changed these children, especially a child that’s shy or one trying to find themselves, it hits their buttons and they bloom. They learn how to pull their creativity out. These instructors are so good.”

“My granddaughter participated for the first time this year,” continued Gordon.  “As I was sitting at the library and watching Sophia run the camera, I teared up, because it gave her confidence and a skill.” 

“I love that the filmmakers is skill development. What we need in Mississippi is to raise up the crew. We don’t have enough crew. Even the little independent movies need crew. You teach them how to be a PA, how to edit, how to run a camera–whatever the position is, they get a taste of it. When they get older, they can get recommended,” said Gordon. 

Of those honored, Gordon touched on a few and said, “Colton Comans, he is in Atlanta busting it. He’s working on noted films, Christie is also over here creating her own material and making movies. Matthew is casting in Canada, New Orleans, all over. William Lindsay, we love honoring him as he came up through the program, became an instructor, and is now working for Hail State. He will make a mark in film, and I’m so proud it’s because of his start in Canton filmmakers.  They are all out there using these skills,” she said. 

Hale is a cinematographer and editor from Jackson. As a child she began exploring the world of comedic storytelling, turning the camera on her friends and neighbors to create shorts for Youtube and school projects. After honing her skills in the CYFW, then at Tufts University, she shot and edited the short film Liz, and went on to win awards at several festivals. In late 2022, she shot the feature film The Jacksons, which is currently in post production. 

Pollard is a filmmaker based in Jackson. She has written and directed a number of short films and is currently in post production on her debut feature film “The Jacksons,” which she worked on with Pollard after the two of them became fast friends at CYFW. Her goal as an artist focuses on capturing a cultural moment and shedding light on truths. 

“These honorees are all a testament to the outstanding curriculum and instruction that has been designed and implemented to ensure their success in the industry,” said Gordon.