The director of “Mississippi Damned,” Tina Mabry agreed to meet me the morning of her film’s screening in the Culp Center’s Marketplace. We discussed her film, her heritage, her ambition and how stupid people in horror movies can be.”Who runs upstairs? That’s instant death,” she said, laughing. Our interview was more of a conversation, and I am pleased to have met such a charismatic and bold individual.

“Mississippi Damned” is the second film to be screened as part of the Southern Circuit Tour festival. It is a film rich with heartache and adversity, about a family in Mississippi struggling with cycles of abuse and addiction.

The film is biographical, written by Mabry and shot in an impressively paced 22 days.

“Well, there was the tornado,” she recalls, “so it was more like 21 and a half days. It was a sight to see the Northerners flock to the window to watch the tornado.”

Having seen “Mississippi Damned,” I consider myself lucky to have had the chance to speak with Mabry. Inspired by “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Love and Basketball,” Mabry decided to pursue filmmaking instead of law school.

“When I discovered in my last year as an undergraduate that the directors of those two films were women, I was inspired and couldn’t deny my love for film. I was then admitted to the School of Cinema-Television at University of Southern California.”

When asked how she knows when she is finished making a film, Mabry said, “You never really are finished. Once you make it, you have to sell it. It’s an undertaking five or six years long, so you better love what you’re doing. Get a good script with authentic dialogue, something that doesn’t have too much description but lets you effectively feel the story.”

We joked about the idea of her someday making a sequel.

“Nah, there won’t be a ‘Mississippi Damned 2’ or a ‘Mississippi Damned Again.’ I got all that out. I’m moving right along.”

As a lesbian, Mabry also commented on the recent multitude of gay suicides. “I thought things were getting better,” she says, “and in some ways they are. There were only a couple of people in my Gay-Straight Alliance on campus, so that’s gotten much better.

“It’s so great to hear over a hundred people showed up here at ETSU for the Candlelight Vigil. People just need to learn they can’t apologize for who they are. Be yourself. If anyone has a problem with that, it’s their loss. It’s their life they aren’t living.”

I asked her if she had a “coming out” story she would like to share.

“My older sister is gay, and she’s 10 years older than me. She had a much harder time than me with that; I got lucky. I waited until I was in college before I was ready, and nothing horrific happened.

“My family kidded around with me: ‘Oh, now we’ve got another one.’ My family and I remain close.”

Mabry then laughs as she reads her fortune from a fortune cookie. She shows me the little slip of paper: “You create your own stage. The world is the audience.”

“That’s fitting,” I tell her, handing the fortune back to her. She nods in agreement, and we begin to talk about the importance of breaking destructive cycles.

“Making the film was very cathartic for me,” she begins. “It’s based on my life, my family, the legacy of sweeping dirt under the rug. You can’t do that, because it will just pile up and make a mess.

Sweeping up such a mess might be painful and it might get dirty, but someone has to do it. Einstein said insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting the same result.”

I asked Mabry if her film would be available through DVD anytime soon. She advised me to queue it on Netflix, and she said there is a production company interested in giving her film a theatrical release in the next couple of months because there is talk of the film being Oscar-worthy.

One certainty about “Mississippi Damned” is that the film is a tenacious machine born from hardship and bravery.

With an ensemble cast of 34 actors and a story that resonates deeply to viewers, Mabry’s film is a force of nature.

For anyone who has suffered from abuse, the film conveys the importance of self-reliance and admitting the need for positive change. For those who feel stuck – through “big fish, little pond” syndrome or through a low-income household with limited opportunity – the film promises the possibility of triumph with patience and unhinged resolve.

What also struck me about Mabry’s film is the conflict of moving far from family in order to pursue a career.

“Helping yourself is helping us,” advises a close relative in the film.

Those who did not attend the screening of the film missed an opportunity to absorb a stimulating story, along with the chance to speak with Tina Mabry.

I will not soon forget the moment I met her when she realized I was the reporter who had been constantly emailing her about arranging a meeting. She smiled – genuinely smiled – and hugged me.

As families continue to crumble through abuse and addiction, it is important to remember the power of human contact.

It is important to remember that helping yourself is helping those who brought you here.

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