Jacksonville, Florida--The Last Stop on the Southern Tour!

Today was the last screening for my Southern Circuit Tour--wow--what a whirlwind 9 days! I had a rough landing in Jacksonville, Florida but it was well worth it. About thirty people showed up to the screening in the pouring rain. My host Darryl Reuben Hall was a bit disappointed with the turn out, but I wasn't. Since I began screening my film I had already decided that whether there are 10 people or 200 at my screenings I am going to enjoy every minute of it. The audience members came early and left late with lots of talk about Daisy Bates--this woman they had never heard of. We had a wonderful conversation about Daisy's childhood and her complex relationship with her husband L.C. Bates. There was one audience member who was from Little Rock--she graduated from Central High in the early 1970s. Despite by being a native of Little Rock she still walked away knowing more about Daisy Bates than she did when she lived there. A wonderful end to a fantastic journey!

Alexandria, Louisiana Here I Come!

Had a wonderful screening tonight in Alexandria, Louisiana! My hosts Matt Henry and Kyle May organize a lovely reception before and after the screening. About 40 people turned out to watch the film and stayed behind for Q&A. Discussion delve into what I learned about Daisy Bates and what surprised me the most about her. I shared with the audience Daisy's long time status as L.C. Bates' mistress was a big surprise along with her love of cigarettes, scotch and poker!

Now Showing at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts!

Last night I screened "Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock" at the Lucas Theatre in Savannah, Georgia. This was my first time back in Savannah in more than 10 years--I really love this city. It's beautiful and steeped in history in a way that only a Southern town can be. The people are warm and friendly to match the beautiful architect and atmosphere. Over 100 people attended the screening in the 1920s Lucas Theatre. Many of the audience members were high school students who surprisingly sat quietly throughout the film. The question and answer session went on so long that the technical manager dragged the microphone out of my hands in order to get everyone out of the theater and to the reception. It was quite comical! During the reception audience members approached me to thank me for the film and share their personal stories. We actually closed down the theater--it's good to be in Georgia again!

Hidden In The Mountains of North Carolina

Drove from Tennessee to North Carolina on Tuesday morning to land on the campus of Western Carolina University, where Lori Davis took Kalin and I under her wing. The campus is beautiful surrounded by mountains. Almost 75 people attended the screening--the diverse audience of students, faculty and community members enjoyed the film and most stayed behind to participate in the question and answer session. One student asked me about the Little Rock Nine suffering from post traumatic Stress Syndrome. That question continues to resonate with me because during the course of my research on the film and after meeting many of the Little Rock Nine I had come to the same conclusion. At the end of the Q&A an older woman walked up to me with her son. In a very quiet and sad voice she told me that she attended Central High School and she handed me her graduation ring. She said that I deserved it after working on the film for so long and so hard. I tried to return the ring but she wouldn't accept it--we hugged as I thanked her profusely and promised to take good care of it.

Johnson City Here We Come!

Monday morning we drove into Johnson City, Tennessee from Winder, Georgia--it was a lovely scenic drive through South Carolina, North Carolina and finally the mountains of Tennessee. Johnson City is a pretty city dominated by the East Tennessee State University. Our hostess Dean Anita DeAngelis went out of her way to make us feel at home--within one hour of meeting her it's as if my friend Kalin Thomas and I had known her forever. In the early afternoon we were invited by Prof. Tammy Hayes to speak to her television production class about our careers in the television and film industry. The class of about 10 students enjoyed Kalin and my war stories of life at CNN and our advice on how to make it in television an film.  Later that evening the screening was held in the theater of the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts and despite the pouring rain about 65 people showed up to see "Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock." The question and answer session with the audience was really dynamic--they asked a lot of intriguing questions about Daisy Bates, the Little Rock Nine, and film process itself. My favorite question was "What was the range of emotions I felt while making the film." My response was that in seven years I felt every range imaginable--happiness and deep despair--usually these emotions were tied to the fundraising process which can make or break a filmmaker. After a lengthy discussion with audience Anita DeAngelis launched a beautiful reception outside the theater where I got to interact with the audience directly. In all it was a wonderful evening!

Wonderful Winder!

Screened in Winder, GA today--small town that is a mixture of the old and new South. My host Don Wildsmith from the Winder Cultural Arts Center gathered a wonderful group of people who said "thank you for doing this film." Some members of the audience lived through the 1957 Central High Crisis--watching the film reminded them of some painful memories from their past. On my way to Johnson City, Tennessee on Monday!

Meet Sharon La Cruise

Welcome Sharon La Cruise to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! Sharon will be touring with her film, Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock. The first stop for Daisy Bates and Sharon is the Dare County Arts Council in Manteo, NC. This great little outer banks community puts on a great show so don't miss a moment.

Sharon will also be visitign the following communities:

Manteo, NC

Miramar, FL

Winder, GA

Johnson City, TN

Cullowhee, NC

Savannah, GA

Alexandria, LA

Jacksonville, FL

More about Sharon: Sharon La Cruise works for the Ford Foundation in the JustFilms unit. She has worked in television and film for 20 years, both in the corporate and production aspects of the business. She recently completed her first film, Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock, a feature-length documentary on civil rights activist Daisy Bates, which was broadcast in 2012 on PBS’ Independent Lens. She began her television career with ABC in primetime sales. She has worked on: Dixie Chicks: Shut up & Sing; Going Up River: The Long War of John Kerry; Beyond Brown: Pursuing the Promise; Citizen King; Matters of Race; This Far By Faith: African-American Spiritual Journeys; Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun;and CNN’s Through the Lens, The Road to the White House and The Planetary Police. She is a member of the International Documentary Association. She holds an M.A. in television journalism from New York University, and a B.A. in history from Adelphi University.

Miramar Plans Premiere Weekend

Premiere Weekend Event! SEPT 6 - 9, 2012

For those fans of Southern Circuit that just cant wait month to month to see each new film, Miramar Cultural Center in Miramar, FL has your perfect solution. For the first time ever, one of our Southern Circuit partner venues will be hosting a four day independent film festival featuring all six films from their circuit as part of a premiere weekend. Festivities include a red carpet VIP reception and pre-show lounges. This will be a unique experience for fans and filmmakers alike. So if you are in the area, make sure you get your ticket soon. This will be an event not to be missed.

For tickets and information 954.602.4500