Memphis’ Mark Jones screens new films
In 2006, local filmmaker Mark Jones used a bloody butcher knife to carve a name for himself with his first low-budget feature, “Fraternity Massacre at Hell Island,” which — no surprise here — remains Memphis’ only gay teen indie political slasher spoof.
A dozen years later, Jones still is making movies in Memphis. The humor and messaging are much the same, but the sharpest barbs come in the form of witticisms rather than literal weapons.
“I like telling stories,” said Jones, 50, perhaps best known for “Tennessee Queer,” a 2012 comedy that imagines a conservative small town’s first Gay Pride parade. “And I don’t think anyone else is going to tell these same stories.”
Having turned from features to shorts in recent years (“I did it backwards,” the director admits), Jones next week will host an anthology of recent work titled — with undeniable logic — “Hometowner Showcase: Mark Jones.”
“Showcase” screenings are set for 7 and 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Malco Studio on the Square at Overton Square. Admission is $10, with all proceeds going to the three-year-old Indie Memphis Youth Film Program, an ambitious attempt to engage budding teen filmmakers from throughout the Mid-South via workshops, mentorships, production grants and the signature Youth Film Fest, set for Sept. 8 at the Orpheum’s Halloran Centre. (In its first two years, the Youth Film Fest screened work from more than 30 area schools, created by students in grades 7-12.)
Ryan Watt, executive director of Indie Memphis, said the organization created the Youth Film Program to “support the future storytellers of Memphis” via programming “with no financial barriers that is completely accessible to students anywhere in our area.” In other words, all Youth Film Program events are free.
The next of these events is a workshop titled “The Director’s Journey,” set for 1-4 p.m. Sept. 28 at Circuit Playhouse, 51 Cooper. According to its website, the workshop, to be led by veteran local filmmaker Morgan Jon Fox, promises “an overview of a realistic, practical path towards becoming a director,” and is aimed at “those who are interested in being a hands-on writer/director.” The website tells teens that the event’s focus will be on “small, original stories that can be shot with little to no budget, and serve as the building blocks towards finding your intuitive voice as a director.” (Students in grades 7-12 interested in signing up should visit indiememphis.com and click on the “Youth“link.)
“Hometowner Showcase: Mark Jones” will last about an hour; the time frame includes about 35 minutes worth of short films, plus a question-and-answer session about Jones’ work and a discussion of Indie Memphis’ youth initiatives.
The films that will be screened are four shorts written and directed by Jones, dating back to 2016. The lineup includes “Death$ in a $mall Town”; “Winding Brook” and “Henry,” which debuted at the 2017 Indie Memphis Film Festival; and a new film, “Best Wedding Gift,” in its public premiere.
Starring Savannah Bearden and Jacob Wingfield as a bride and a best man who have a major set-to just moments before a wedding ceremony, the film — shot last year at Memphis Heritage headquarters, Howard Hall — is what Jones calls “a dark comedy.”
“The idea of writing something very small, with one, two or three people on one set, so you can come in and shoot it all in one day, it’s a challenge, but it’s very appealing,” said Jones, explaining his recent attraction to short films. “To be able to tell a really good story in a short time, it’s a good exercise for a filmmaker.”
In addition to making films (another of Jones’ past works was the campy soap opera spoof, “On the Edge of Happiness,” which Jones jokingly calls “Gays of Our Lives”), Jones is an active behind-the-scenes supporter of the arts scene. He provided the funding that launched the Indie Memphis “IndieGrants” program for local filmmakers, and he has long been an organizer of the annual Outflix Film Festival, devoted to cinema with LGBTQ content.