Clarksdale, Mississippi, serves as an inspiration for the setting for the film “Sinners,” starring Michael B. Jordan, but there is no local cineplex. This led to community organizer Tyler Yabra to ask filmmakers and studios to hold screenings in the city behind the project.
Yarbrough, along with Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy, spoke with CNN’s Victor Blackwell, sharing his hopes that screening will become a reality.
“Clarksdale is a way to stay away from the cinema,” Yarbra said in an interview, adding that it took him about an hour and a half to drive to the theatre where the film was on display.
Espi pointed to the process and lack of funding as factors that contributed to the loss of two cinemas in Clarkdale, and detailed that most community and family-centric venues began to be drawn to around 80 miles in Memphis, Tennessee.
“We are really excited to see the opportunity for members to come and give people the opportunity to have real emotions and real dialogue.
“A lot of people are at the table trying to make this happen,” he said. “People with a 2-hour radius are talking about coming to Clarksdale to see this event.”
Neither Espy nor Yarbrough said that the screening plans have been finalized, but Yarbrough mentioned “some conversations” that took part in “Warner Bros. executives.” He said the screening would “seem very promising” to happen between now and June, but no details have been confirmed.
“We’re asking Michael B. Jordan what’s the rest of the cast. We’re talking about the studio executives,” Espi said. “Everyone who has been exposed to this amazing film has started a great release. We asked them to come to Clarksdale.”
CNN reached out to Warner Bros. photos for comment on potential screenings.
“Sinners”, “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler’s period/crime thriller/vampire horror hybrid dominated the box office and won positive reviews. The film is produced and distributed by Warner Bros Pictures, owned by CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.
Among them, Mississippi in the 1930s is considered a burgeoning, fertile place where blues music is created for characters to play in moving cars and the juke joints to enjoy together by the community.
(LR) “Sinners” by Jayme Lawson, Wunmi Mosaku, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, and Li Jun Li. – Courtesy Warner Bros Pictures
“Clarksdale is a melting pot. There are so many people from New Zealand, Australia, and they come all over the world for the authentic atmosphere of the blues,” Esspey said, adding that the city’s heritage has been going on for over 100 years on the heritage of the Mississippi Delta and the rich heritage of the blues.
“So people come from all over the world just to get in touch with the sacred soil of this city and say, “I was there, where Bruce was born.” ”
Yarbrough also mentioned how in a perfect world, he can persuade the production team of “Sinner” and come for screening and dialogue, as well as explore some of the things that modern-day Clarksdale has to offer.
“We wanted the cast to come down and experience the juke joints and experience a museum like the Blues Museum,” he said.
“What I really loved about some of the films that Coogler shot so well was just showing how blues is the foundation. And you saw a scene where he intertwine all the different genres into this one scene from hip hop to pop, pop, rock. “And I think that, for this screening and everything, I’m trying to connect the locals, Deltan to that power. So we remember that we’re strong.”
CNN’s Hyan de Freitas contributed to this story.
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