Mudbound premieres at New Orleans Film Festival

20th October 2017   ·   0 Comments

By Deja Dennis
Contributing Writer

Lights, Camera, Action! Movie goers of New Orleans put on their best red carpet wear and enjoyed the rich storytelling of up-and-coming filmmakers at the 28th Annual New Orleans Film Festival, last week. The festival was jam packed with a week of exciting new films which began on Oct. 11 and wrapped up on Oct 19.

Among the featured films was Mudbound, directed by Dee Rees, which was the centerpiece film on Saturday, Oct. 14. Mudbound was filmed in various parts of Louisiana, including a few areas in rural New Orleans. It is a tale about two soldiers, one Black (Ronsel Jackson) and one white (Jamie McAllan played by Garrett Hedlund), returning from war and forming a friendship during the segregated Jim Crow era. New Orleans native Jason Mitchell, most known for his portrayal of Eazy E in Straight Outta Compton stars as Ronsel, and received the New Orleans Film Festival Trailblazer Award.

Cassian Elwes produced the film that also featured R&B singer Mary J. Blige, Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Rob Morgan, Lucy Faust, Joshua J. Williams, Frankie Smith, Kennedy Derosin and Piper Blair as cast, who all attended the premiere at the film festival.

“The movie isn’t just about racism, said Joshua J. Willams, who plays Ruel Jackson, the brother of Ronsel, “It’s about love and family.” The younger actors were able to learn valuable history lessons from the film.

“Everyone was very welcoming. It felt like family,” said Kennedy Dersoin, 14, who plays Lilly May Jackson, the sister of Ronsel.

Mitchell also described how he was able to go back to a time in history that is so hard for many to look at. He channeled his grandfather, a war veteran who lived through segregation.

“The things that I thought were going to be challenging really weren’t because I had such a good support team.” Mitchell said. “Everyone on set was great.” He also supported his fellow cast members when they had difficulty with the harsh language of the Jim Crow South. He reassured them that it was all a part being authentic and true to the time period.

The cast was also eager to share some of their takeaways from the film.

Frankie Smith who played Marlon Jackson, another one of Ronsel’s brothers, compared themes of racism and segregation in the movie to current social issues.

“The film is still relevant today,” Smith said about the current racial tensions in the U.S. He believes that people of all backgrounds can accomplish things together. This is an important message that he wants the viewer to understand from the movie.

In order to share this message, the cast braved extremely hot Louisiana weather, pesky mosquitoes, and lots of mud, hence the title. Young actress Piper Blair said that the mud was her favorite part.

The chemistry of the cast transferred from the big screen to the red carpet as they all came together to support each other and the project.

“It felt great to be a part of something bigger; real history,” Mitchell said. Mudbound, will premiere on Netflix Nov. 17.