Prom Night in Mississippi (2009)

Director:

Paul Saltzman

Writer:

Paul Saltzman (writer)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A high school in a small-town in Mississippi prepares for its first integrated senior prom.

Plot Keywords:

Prom | High School | Race Relations | Integration | Small Town

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Highschool Seniors of Charleston	...	Seniors
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Morgan Freeman	...	Himself

Directed by
Paul Saltzman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Paul Saltzman		writer

Produced by
Nancy Abraham	....	supervising producer: Home Box Office
Patricia Aquino	....	executive producer
Paul Hay	....	associate producer
Thabi Moyo	....	associate producer
Paul Saltzman	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Asher Lenz
Jack Lenz

Cinematography by
Bongo
Don Warren

Film Editing by
Stephen Philipson

Art Direction by
Patricia Aquino

Production Management
Michael Berec	....	post-production manager
David Ransley	....	post-production supervisor
Kevin Schjerning	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andrés Aquino	....	additional direction (as Andres Aquino)

Sound Department
Francisco Aquino	....	additional sound mixing
Dan Cherkas	....	re-voice recordist
Jennifer Costa	....	assistant sound editor
Corey Easley	....	sound mixer
Corey Easley	....	supervising sound mixer: prom night
Shaun Gratto	....	re-recording mixer
Shaun Gratto	....	sound editor
Gregory Gray	....	sound mixer: prom night
Gregory Gray	....	sound recordist
Rob Hutchins	....	dialogue editor
Victoria Jackson	....	sound mixer: prom night
Jack Lenz	....	post-production sound services
Thabi Moyo	....	sound mixer
Tim O'Connell	....	foley artist
Geoff Raffan	....	sound effects editor
Paul Saltzman	....	sound mixer
Al White	....	sound mixer: prom night
David Yonson	....	foley mixer

Visual Effects by
Pietro Gallo	....	digital compositor
A.J. Leitch	....	titles & graphics
David Ransley	....	titles & graphics
Kevin Schjerning	....	titles & graphics

Camera and Electrical Department
Catherine Farquharson	....	special stills photography
Lionel 'Griff' Griffin	....	additional photography: prom night
Randy Kwan	....	additional photography: prom night
Randy Kwan	....	camera operator
Sekou McGlothin	....	lighting technician: prom night
Thabi Moyo	....	additional photographer
Kevin Partridge	....	additional photographer
Philip Scarborough	....	additional photography: prom night
Edgar Smith	....	additional photographer
Edgar Smith	....	grip: prom night
Bill Toles	....	additional photographer
Don Warren	....	jimmy jib operator: prom night

Animation Department
Kjell Boersma	....	animation: graphic novel segments
Mark Hooper	....	separations: graphic novel segments
Mike Vosburg	....	illustrator: graphic novel segments

Editorial Department
Anita Armenti	....	assistant editor
Andrea Davis	....	assistant editor
Emily Fagotto	....	assistant editor
Vanessa Fioretti	....	video transfer
Pat Joyes	....	assistant editor
A.J. Leitch	....	additional editing
Jonathan Liebert	....	digital cinema mastering
Rui Martins	....	digital output technician
Tom Mayclim	....	digital intermediate recordist
Mark Morton	....	additional editing
Dave Muscat	....	assistant digital intermediate editor
Tyler Parent	....	assistant editor
Judah Purcell	....	additional editing
Judah Purcell	....	assistant editor
David Ransley	....	additional editing
David Ransley	....	colourist
David Ransley	....	on-line editor
Kevin Schjerning	....	senior editor
Darryl Stawychny	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Peggy Brooks	....	prom organizer & assistant to Mr. Freeman
Nathan Buttrey	....	production assistant
Sue-Ann Buttrey	....	production assistant
A.J. Coombs	....	assistant to Jack Lenz
Robert Craft	....	production assistant
Guinn Terry Davis	....	production assistant
Jo-Anne Gestrin	....	research
Kevin Hodges	....	security
Lyndon Johnson	....	security
Elizabeth Klinck	....	visual researcher
Michelle Lefolii	....	research
Skyla Dawn Luckey	....	research (as Skyla Dawn Lucky)
Devyani Saltzman	....	research
Thomas Schlesinger	....	story consultant
Karen Shatzkin	....	legal services
Doug Smith	....	production assistant
Kai Williams	....	production assistant

Thanks
Morgan Freeman	....	very special thanks

Production Companies

• Return to Mississippi Productions

Distributors

• HBO Documentary Films (2009) (worldwide) (TV)
• New Video Group (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2010) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Corbis  archival photos courtesy
• Deluxe Post-Production  digital compositing
• Don Thomas Audio Services  sound mixers: prom night
• Lenz Entertainment  music
• Lenz Entertainment  post-production sound services
• Library of Congress  archival photos courtesy

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Charleston, Mississippi, USA

Company:

Return to Mississippi Productions

Quotes:

Herself (Chasidy):It might be the fear your white daughter conceiving with a black man. That might be the fear. You're afraid of presenting, coming out white and you have a mixed baby.

Well-crafted and thought-provoking

There was something special about seeing this film at the Crossroads Film Festival in Jackson, Mississippi. There were some in the audience who did not know that proms were still segregated in some cities. Of course, they don't have to be segregated in Jackson because the vast majority of white students there attend private schools.

Be that as it may, this film makes it clear that racism is not an either-or proposition. There are some students who have black friends but would only date whites, a few who either by their own choice or under pressure from their parents will not attend an integrated prom, and one interracial couple who decide to become really public by going to the prom together. On one thing the students seem almost unanimous: separate proms is their parents' idea, not theirs.

Almost everyone seemed to be willing to talk to the film makers, except the small group of parents who organized their own whites-only prom. Perhaps the most powerful portion of the film is an interview with a white father who struggles with his own racist attitudes while refusing to give up on his daughter, whose boyfriend is black. I cannot think of a movie more likely to promote discussion about issues of race than Prom Night. And on top of that, it's just plain worth watching.