HBO presents Prom Night in Mississippi featuring Morgan Freeman

July 11, 8:34 PMCable TV ExaminerChristine Nyholm

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HBO is featuring the documentary film Prom Night in Mississippi, which is premiering on July 20, 2009. The film chronicles the historic journey of a southern high school that holds its first integrated senior prom in 2008. Actor and Mississippi native, Morgan Freeman, in featured in the film
 

Sixteen years after the Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of public schools. Charleston, Miss. integrated its high school – but the community still held two graduation dances, one for white students and one for black students.
 

In 1997, Oscar®-winning actor Morgan Freeman, a Charleston resident, offered to pay for the prom, under one condition: that it be integrated. Though his offer was ignored, he made it again in 2008, and this time, the school accepted. History was made – but not without significant opposition.
 

Prom Night in Mississippi is an official selection of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, the HBO documentary chronicles the historic journey of a high school and its community when it debuts Monday, July 20 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT). The film will also air on HBO on July 23 (2:30 p.m.), 26 (noon), 28 (12:30 a.m.) and 30 (6:00 p.m.), and Aug. 1 (10:00 a.m.) and 4 (11:00 a.m.). Playdates on HBO2 include: July 22 (8:00 p.m.) and 27 (2:00 p.m.), and Aug. 9 (8:00 a.m.) and 18 (2:00 p.m.)
 

Prom Night in Mississippi is directed by Paul Saltzman, who deftly weaves together student-made videos, interviews and fly-on-the-wall moments with students, school officials, parents and Freeman himself. “I live here,” Freeman tells an assembly of seniors. “I think it is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of that in this time…you children are being brought up this way. It hurts me deeply.”

The documentary is an eye-opening reminder that racism is alive and well in America, 54 years after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered an end to segregated public schools. Resistance to integrating the prom comes primarily from parents, while the students, for the most part, sound a hopeful note, articulating their own feelings in the face of the prejudices of their parents and grandparents.

Even after the integrated prom is announced and backed by the school administration, some white parents, who forbid their children to attend the integrated prom, organize a separate “whites only” prom for their children. The filmmakers tell the story of this “whites only” dance, where cameras are not allowed, through graphic novel-style illustrations based on the first-hand accounts of students who attend it.

Of Charleston High’s 415 students, 70% are African-American and 30% are white.

Prom Night in Mississippi marks the feature directing debut of Paul Saltzman, a two-time Emmy®-winning TV and film producer-director with 300 productions to his credit. Saltzman is also a published author and photographer,

HBO Documentary Films presents a Return to Mississippi Productions production; directed and produced by Paul Saltzman; producer, Patricia Aquino; editors, Kevin Schjerning, Stephen Phillipson and David Ransley; cinematographers, Bongo, Don Warren and Paul Saltzman; original music, Jack Lenz and Asher Lenz. For HBO: senior producer, Nancy Abraham; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.

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