Over the years, Hollywood has given the world glimpses of Southern culture – some sincere, some appalling; some painfully accurate, some ignorantly stereotypical. Finding a consensus on what constitutes “good” filmmaking about the South is difficult. Is it the accuracy of the setting, the delivery of proper accents, the depth and understanding of the culture or the portrayal of the people?
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Photo credit: Cristopher P. Kettrey
Theatrical Outfit, an award-winning theater company known for its engaging, dynamic and often challenging plays, puts on a Pulitzer Prize winning Horton Foote show this month. The Young Man from Atlanta, based in the 1950s, tells the story of a middle-class couple grappling with job loss, the mysterious death of their son and the arrival of a young man from Atlanta, previously unknown to them, asking for financial support. Tom Key, Theatrical Outfit’s creative director, plays Will Kidder – optimistic, hard working, devoted to the American dream – whose grief and job insecurity casts a strange new light on his world view.
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Each year, filmmakers and cinema aficionados descend on Oxford, Mississippi for four days to celebrate artistic heritage, Southern hospitality and the independent spirit – and to watch dozens of films. The Oxford Film Festival kicks off its eighth season with an opening night extravaganza February 10 followed by a weekend of new, challenging and unusual films (presented by those that create them) February 11-13.
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In the circles most of us run in, it’s hard to believe that illiteracy is just as widespread as, say, world hunger or the AIDs epidemic. But it is.
Globally, an estimated 781 million people are illiterate. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 42 million unschooled children. Asia, often cited for its high math and science scores, has shockingly 73 percent of the world’s illiterate people. And the United States, for all its high ideals, has 30 million adults possessing below basic reading skills.
While we might not be able to imagine the frustration and powerlessness of the world’s illiterate populations, we can contribute to a future where the above numbers are not quite so stark by shopping at Better World Books.
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It’s easy to blame e-mail and social media for a lack of written decorum, thoughtfulness and personal touch, but sometimes even the most considerate of us just plain forget. Two University of Virginia business school grads are doing their part to make it possible for the busy modern gentleman to attentively connect with others through written correspondence.
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