The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hal Jacobs explores Southern topics with homegrown documentaries
Atlanta-based filmmaker says he looks for ‘good stories’ in Georgia, other parts of region.
Hal Jacobs once sold a script to Disney. It did not go well. “The whole thing was so unpleasant that I don’t even want to talk about it.”
Hollywood once came calling on Atlanta filmmaker Hal Jacobs.
Disney bought his script about a Maasai tribe, and Whoopi Goldberg expressed some interest. It seemed like a big break. The creative process, though, proved fraught with frustrations.
“All we had to do was take notes from the producer until he was happy,” Jacobs says. “I know what I don’t like. For months, we revised and revised until he liked what we no longer liked.
End of story. I decided I wasn’t cut out for Hollywood. The whole thing was so unpleasant that I don’t even want to talk about it.”
Nevertheless, he still had things to say. So Jacobs took a grassroots, DIY approach to filmmaking. Now, using a small, handheld Panasonic camera, he works on his own terms with a skeleton crew of five on a shoestring, crowdfunded budget.
“What makes our productions different is that we don’t rely on foundation or corporate grants and thus aren’t beholden to their oversight or decorum, which is often a recipe for dullness, predictability and hagiography,” he says. “We get to make movies that we want to watch. The
Screening and discussion presented by Georgia Public Broadcasting. 6 p.m. April 16. Free. Columbus Public Library, 3000 Macon Road, Columbus. gpb.org. Also airs April 22 on GPB.
Stream “Lillian Smith,” “Common Good,” “Mary Hambidge” and “Murrell Catawampus” for free and “Northside Tavern” for $4.99 at hjacobscreative.com