Happy Fourth of July everyone! We hope that your day is spent taking in the summer sun and making wonderful memories with your loved ones. Today we wanted to share an upcoming event with y'all. This Saturday, July 7th at 1:00 pm, filmmaker, and Mississippi native Jaclyn Bethany is hosting a screening of her newest short film, The Delta Girl at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Keep reading for more on Jaclyn and details of this awesome event!
 Still from the Delta Girl |  Jaclyn Bethany |
Jaclyn Bethany is bringing a glimpse of life in Mississippi to the world through her work with film. A Jackson, Mississippi native, Bethany is passionate about creating works that speak to the complexity of the female mind, duality of history, and the value of an experience that provokes thought and reflection.
Jaclyn graduated from Jackson Prep in 2007 and completed her undergraduate degree at Fordham University in New York City with a degree in acting in 2011. Following graduation, Bethany lived in New York and worked in the fashion industry; she even opened her own boutique named Audrey Grace that sold both new and vintage items to customers all over the world. Jaclyn made her directing debut by directing a series of scenes by Tennessee Williams, it was this experience that inspired her to make the short film that catapulted her into the international film festival circuit, Olivia Martha Isle. Filmed in Jackson in 2014, Olivia Martha Isle was inspired by Anton Chekhov's play “Three Sisters.” The short film was set on a Mississippi plantation in the 1930s and centers around the relationship between three sisters and their new sister in law. Olivia Martha Isle was directed and written by Jaclyn and featured actors such as James Frain, Emmy award winner Tammy Blanchard, and Mississippi native Tonea Stewart.
Jaclyn graduated from Jackson Prep in 2007 and completed her undergraduate degree at Fordham University in New York City with a degree in acting in 2011. Following graduation, Bethany lived in New York and worked in the fashion industry; she even opened her own boutique named Audrey Grace that sold both new and vintage items to customers all over the world. Jaclyn made her directing debut by directing a series of scenes by Tennessee Williams, it was this experience that inspired her to make the short film that catapulted her into the international film festival circuit, Olivia Martha Isle. Filmed in Jackson in 2014, Olivia Martha Isle was inspired by Anton Chekhov's play “Three Sisters.” The short film was set on a Mississippi plantation in the 1930s and centers around the relationship between three sisters and their new sister in law. Olivia Martha Isle was directed and written by Jaclyn and featured actors such as James Frain, Emmy award winner Tammy Blanchard, and Mississippi native Tonea Stewart.
Still from the Delta Girl
Through the process of completing that project, Jaclyn was more passionate about filmmaking than ever. She made the decision to move to London to study at the London School of Film. She earned her Masters of Art in Screenwriting in 2016. While studying in London, Jaclyn met cinematographer Irene Gomez-Emilsson at the Reykjavik Film Festival in Iceland. The pair collaborated on the short film Between Departures. It was this project that Bethany used to successfully apply to the prestigious American Film Institute Conservatory program. During her summer off from AFI, Bethany also wrote and directed the short film Indigo Valley. Indigo Valley is a harrowing drama set against the breathtaking Icelandic wilderness. Indigo Valley is set to be made into Bethany’s first full length feature film shooting this August.
Still from Indigo Valley
To complete the intensive program at AFI, students are required to produce a thesis project that speaks to who they are as an artist. For her thesis, Jaclyn chose to tell the story of a young girl in the Mississippi Delta in 1964 that is caught in an unimaginable moral dilemma. The Delta Girl was co-written with AFI Screenwriter Natalie Zimmerman and directed by Jaclyn. This coming Saturday, July 7th, the Mississippi Museum of Art is hosting a screening of the short film at 1:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public, but please do reserve your ticket here. There will be performances from Joy Kate Lawson and Katie Newton as well as appearances from some members of the cast and crew. Prior to the screening, Jaclyn will be speaking about her projects including The Delta Girl at 10:00 A.M at the Museum's Art and Coffee event.
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