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EC Festival Celebrates Film Industry

BLAKELY – Southwest Georgia film-industry buffs should head to Early County this weekend for the 2nd annual Jokara-Micheaux Film Festival.

Admission to the opening ceremony and breakfast is $10. Film-screening admission is $5 a day and free for accompanied children 5 and under. Admission to the black-tie gala awards ceremony is $70 each and $500 for an eight-person table.

With the theme, "Learning From the Past," the festival will include workshops, symposiums and screenings of feature films, documentaries and experimental work.

Potential investors and producers will also be on hand to hear ideas for possible projects.

The celebration also includes the Early County 2055 It's Happening Here Block Party. The free party is set for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday on the Blakely Courthouse Square.

The block party will feature entertainment from Sawyer Brown, movie stuntman Kim Kahana demonstrating his craft and a Dream Big unveiling. Magic shows, artist exhibits, children's activities, contests, pony rides, a flower market and concessions are included, as well.

The Jokara-Micheaux Film Festival debuted last year to highlight Southwest Georgia's potential as an emerging market for the movie, television and film industries.

"Our vision is for Southwest Georgia to become home to a thriving film industry business, like other successful areas in North Carolina and Louisiana," festival founder and Southwest Georgia Film Commission Director Ralph Wilcox stated in a recent news release.

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
  • Registration, 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Thursday and 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Friday at 62 North Main St., Blakely
  • Opening ceremonies and breakfast, 7:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church in Blakely, $10 admission
  • Film screenings, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Blakely Cine-Plex
  • Film workshops, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-noon Saturday at various Blakely locations
  • Celebrity reception, 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday at 424 College St., in Blakely
  • Five-Minute Pitch Fest, 8 a.m.-10 a.m. and 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Blakely Chamber of Commerce
  • Block party, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at Blakely town square
  • Awards dinner, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Saturday at Jokara-Micheaux Production Studio, located at 263 Phillips Road in Colquitt
  • Breakfast and closing ceremony, 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m. Sunday at Funny Girl Deli, located at 146 Court Square in Blakely

For more information, call (229) 724-7558 or (229) 758-8188, or visit www.swgafestival.com.

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