The cast and crew of the independent film took a break from the heat and humidity this past Saturday to party. That is, to hold a party where supporters of the film and fans could come down to the Square in Oxford, Mississippi and meet everyone associated with the filming of "Where I Begin" at the Southside Gallery. The event was sponsored by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council with proceeds benefiting the Council.
"Where I Begin" began filming a couple of weeks ago and wraps up at the end of August. The T Street Productions story is being filmed in North Mississippi in such towns as Oxford, Sardis, Charleston, and Tupelo. The screenplay, co-written by Thomas Phillips and Melanie Addington, poses the question "Can you ever really return to the town you left?" and explores the emotional impact on relationships left behind and on oneself. The intense story is described by Director Phillips as "a gritty Southern drama with an edge". This is Phillips fifth film and he plans to run it through the film festival circuit before release.
The cast and crew came from all over the country to be here. Los Angeles, Chicago, Cincinnati, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky are among those represented as well as a smattering from North Mississippi. John Wee, the Director of Photography, currently lives in Tupelo but is originally from Malaysia and has lived and pursued a career in film for the last fourteen years. He also teaches in the School of Business at the University of Mississippi. Another Tupeloan, actor Daniel Lee is also an accomplished film director as well. Known for wearing kilts both on and off film and for operating on a shoestring budget, the quirky actor/director is nonetheless very dedicated and considered by his peers to to be quite brilliant on set.
Lee's next film, "Dodge Dakota and the River City Dead", stars Johnny McPhail, who also stars in "Where I Begin". The long-time actor lives in Oxford but originally hails from Bruce, Mississippi. McPhail, who has acted under such famous Hollywood directors as Francis Ford Coppola, Milos Foreman, Robert Altman, Arliss Howard, and Joel Schumacher, didn't get into film until he was discovered at 50 years of age but is rather matter-of-fact regarding his fame. "I'm just a small-town boy," he shrugged. "So I try to help others get into acting who want to. When I got into acting it seemed like Hollywood was trying to keep others from getting into the business," he smiled. "But I'm not worried about more actors getting into the business. Hey, there's only one Johnny McPhail."
Another long-time actor, Lance Nichols, stars in the film. Nichols, a New Orleans native, has 108 films to his credit and was most recently seen in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" with Brad Pitt. There were also younger actors and actresses in the film, such as actress Carlisle Forrester, who lives in Los Angeles but is from Oxford. Her latest film "Now or Never" won the 2010 Oxford Film Festival and was shown at this year's prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France. Forrest both starred in and produced that film.
Elizabeth Connelly came to "Where I Begin" from Cincinnati through North Carolina, where she lives at present. Connelly, ever comfortable in front of the camera, describes herself as "a lover of film and theatre". She is accomplished at both and it shows in her demeanor. "I consider it my duty as an actor to expose people to the truth of the human condition." She flashed a wide smile. "It is important for actors to be sincere in what they do whether in film, on stage, or in person."
Charleston, Mississippi native, 15 year-old Montana Byrd has a cameo in the film, a part she "is very excited about". She was a little overwhelmed at first but since her mother, Assistant to the Director, Laura Warner was working on the film, she quickly warmed to the role. When asked if she was proud of her mother, who is a famous actress, singer, writer, and talent agent, Byrd said "She's my mom. I would be proud of her no matter what she does".
As for newcomers, Screenwriter/Producer Melanie Addington wrote the script not knowing if it would ever make it to film. This is Addington's first film and she admits to wanting to go back and perform more revisions. "As an artist, it is never good enough," she said. Addington, a reporter on the staff at the Oxford Eagle newspaper and co-director of the Oxford Film Festival, first met director Phillips at the Memphis (Tennessee) Film Festival. "He is just an awesome director with great vision," she said.
The intense Phillips was more self-deprecating. "Our cast and crew filmed the best scenes of my career in this film," he said. "I could do nothing without them."
For more information go to www.whereibeginmovie.com or their Facebook page.
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