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Residents of Clarksdale, Mississippi, where the film Sinners was set, are pushing for a local screening in the small town where there is no movie theater, Capital B reports.
Clarksdale serves as the centerpiece of director and filmmaker Ryan Coogler's wildly successful Sinners film. Resident Tyler Yarbrough applauded Coogler for doing his homework and making the film authentically Mississippi Delta.
However, Yarbrough said he had to travel roughly 80 miles to see the film, as there is no active movie theater in the small town where Sinners is set. Yarbrough noted that there's limited public transportation in the area and many residents lack the financial resources to afford a car in Clarksdale, a majority Black town that boasts a population of 14,000 and a median income of 35,000.
Yarbrough started a petition to host a local screening of the film along with an invitation to Coogler, the cast, and the creative team "to walk the streets your vision reimagined, to meet the people whose real stories echo through every frame, and to experience firsthand the living, breathing legacy that inspired your work and the people who are sustaining and reimagining its future.”
Over 1,000 people have signed the petition, which has garnered national attention, including from Matthew Cherry, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker and director, and Hannah Beachler, an Academy Award winner for Best Production Design.
Yarbrough also hopes to hold a public forum with the Sinners team and other residents and farmers who are working to revitalize the Mississippi Delta.
“If you’re going to be talking about Mississippi, bring some money to Mississippi," one community member said.
Yarbrough believes the possible screening and forum could be an opportunity for creatives to connect with the roots of the film.
“There needs to be a coming home to these Black creators who are making these million-dollar films and being connected with our folks on the ground,” he said. “I think it’s deeply important. And I think not only is it important for the folks who live here, but also for just Black America to like, really come home.”
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