SUMNER — The Emmett Till Interpretive Center announces applications are open for the fourth annual Delta Film Academy for 22 high school students June 17-28 in Sumner.
Led by Dr. Davis Houck from Florida State University and Dr. Pablo Correa from University of St. Joseph, students in the program receive hands-on instruction in filmmaking as they shoot, produce and edit their own documentary film.
They learn about Emmett Till and the Civil Rights Movement, visit historic sites in the Delta, interview local leaders and develop project management skills as they collaborate on the final product.
High school students of all grade levels, including graduating seniors, from across the Delta are invited to apply. Students must provide their own transportation to and from the program each day.
The workshop runs 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and lunch is provided for free to participants. Students are also compensated for their time with a stipend.
This is the first year the program will be conducted in partnership with the National Park Service, following the declaration of the Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument on July 25, 2023.
Myeisha Wright, who participated in the Film Academy in 2022 and 2023, spoke highly of her experience in the program. “Completing the film academy not only once, but twice, has definitely paved the way to my own self-discovery of talent and communication,” she said. “The academy helped me find a voice and unlock a part of me that I never knew was there. As a small-town girl, it made me voice my big opinions about racial topics and historical figures. My experience was great, and it has connected me to people that help me with the challenges of life. It is a program for film, but it plays more than that role for me.”
Patrick Weems, executive director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, stated, “We are proud to continue this collaboration with Dr. Houck and Dr. Correa. This summer marks 10 years of partnering with artists and the community to offer film and photography workshops to cultivate the next generation of storytellers right here in the Mississippi Delta.”
Applications are now open at emmett-till.org/apply and must be submitted by May 10. Previous work from the film academy has been screened at the Oxford Film Festival and aired on Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
This year’s film academy is funded in part by the National Park Foundation’s ParkVentures program.
For more information about the application process or film academy, contact Jay Rushing, youth coordinator, at jrushing@emmett-till.org or 662-351-3791.
Elliot Long is operations director at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center.
About the Emmett Till Interpretive Center:
The Emmett Till Interpretive Center was formed to confront the brutal truth of the 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in the Mississippi Delta and to seek justice for the Till family and Delta community. The center aims to tell the story of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, as an act of restorative justice to create the conditions necessary to begin the process of racial healing in Mississippi and across the nation.
