Join us for the 15th Annual Clarksdale Film Festival & Music Festival

Schedule Of Events

2:00 PM : THE RIVER - A Songwriter's Stories of the South - 68 minutes

Special guests include co-producer Laurie Hoffma. Filmed in Mississippi (including Clarksdale) and Tennessee, THE RIVER is an award-winning musical journey through lives, lore and locales along the Mississippi, Cumberland and Tallahatchie rivers. Featuring the Nashville-based "cosmic roots band" Coyote Motel, aerial dance troupe Suspended Gravity Circus and light artists Darling Lucifer Productions.

3:20 PM : A WELL SPENT LIVE - Bluesman Mance Lipscomb - 44 minutes

While perhaps not a household name, Texas bluesman Mance Lipscomb is considered by many to be among the genre's absolute greats. This glowing 1971 portrait of the legendary musician is among director Les Blank’s special masterworks and was reportedly a favorite film of noted author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

4:15 PM : MISSISSIPPI MUD - A Natural History of the Blues - 15 minutes

Comprised of interviews with Mississippi musicians, historians, and river guides and featuring historic archival images, MISSISSIPPI MUD: A Natural History of the Blues explores the relationship between the ecology of the Mississippi Delta and the creation of the genre of blues music.

4:40 PM : (I'M NOT) YOUR NEGRONI - 23 minutes

Award-winning bartender Joseph “Joe” Stinchcomb stirs up the small town of Oxford, Mississippi when he launches a craft cocktail menu honoring Black History Month.

5:15 PM : I BELIEVE I'LL GO BACK HOME: Robert Johnson's Copiah County Roots and Living Legacy - 28 minutes

In 1931 legendary bluesman Robert Johnson went home in search of his father. Instead, he became one. Johnson's descendants reveal the human being behind the myth and his living legacy as a father, grandfather, and musical inspiration in Copiah County.

6:00 PM : 'LIVE' BLUES by Anthony 'Big A' Sherrod - 45 minutes

Catch one of the stars from Friday night's feature film - TALKIN' CLARKSDALE - the torchbearer of Clarksdale blues during our reception!

7:00 PM : TALKIN' CLARKSDALE: A Contemporary Blues Documentary - 60 minutes

WORLD-PREMIERE with filmmaker introduction/Q&A! New documentary takes a fresh look at contemporary blues, exploring its vibrant pulse through the voices of today’s musicians, venue owners, historians and philanthropists. It also delves deep into the rich history of Clarksdale, Mississippi—a town that has nurtured some of the genre’s most legendary and influential figures. Here, the past and present of the blues intertwine, revealing the enduring legacy of this iconic music and the vibrant culture of the town that gave it life.

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