Now Showing: The Early Films of William Ferris
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of B.B. King’s birth, and the addition of William “Bill” Ferris to The MAX Hall of Fame, The Early Films of William Ferris will be playing in The Alexander Family Church Gallery, September 16-November 15 in conjunction with the National Folk Festival.
Four 20-minute documentaries on blues, gospel and folk art will be playing on loop, all day.
Shot in the 1970s while teaching African American Studies at Yale University, The Early Films of William Ferris are powerful reminders of how Mississippi Black oral traditions of music, stories, and art are an enduring part of American culture.
In raw accounts, B.B. King, preachers, inmates, quiltmakers, and gospel singers describe their lives, capturing worlds 50 years ago central to our understanding of Mississippi and the human experience—then and now.
