REX MILLER: FILMS AND CINEMATOGRAPHY

 

646-262-9089
rexpixfilm@earthlink.net

  

 I'M WALKIN: A Journey Through Parchman (2005)

a film by Rex Miller

Ingke Schuldt, co-Producer

Tali Weissman, co-Editor

TRT: 45 mins

 

 

TRAILER COMING SOON

Winner, "Best Photography"; Honolulu International Film Festival
“Special Mention”; Philadelphia Documentary and Fiction Festival.  

 

The story of one man’s journey through, and triumph over, a ten year sentence at Parchman Penitentiary, Mississippi’s notorious state prison. A former plantation for runaway slaves built in the 1840’s, Mitch P. called it home after committing a crime of passion. The film is the result of a long-term relationship between filmmaker and subject, who met while Miller was researching a story on blues musicians in the Mississippi delta, and Mitch was into the 5th year of his sentence. A correspondence ensued, along with repeated trips to Parchman to document life there. Access was always an obstacle, but in the end Miller was granted remarkable freedom and leeway on the premises. He returned to meet Mitch for his release, then left him alone for five years, after which they re-connected in Chicago. A professional musician before his incarceration, Mitch survived prison “intact” because of his music. As therapy and escapism, he wrote hundreds of songs and poems, and taught himself to play several new instruments. Eventually, he was assigned to the Parchman band, which performed for other inmates and at bureaucratic functions around the state, and eventually allowed him to stay out of the most dangerous parts of the penitentiary.

I’M WALKIN’ is a poetic journey of spoken word, music, and visual imagery, an interpretation of Mitch’s experience. The visual imagery largely consists of Miller's black and white photographs, as well as 16mm film, striking images from behind the walls of Parchman Penitentiary. It is a raw, gritty glimpse into life on the verge of insanity. The title refers to a song, written and performed by Mitch, and recorded inside Parchman Penitentiary. It is the first film from photographer Rex Miller, whose photographs have appeared in many national and international magazines, galleries and exhibitions.

 

  

 

ARTIST STATEMENT:
When I first met Mitch, I was immediately drawn to him because of his intelligence and his intensity. As I got to know him over the years, I found him more and more compelling, not only because of his talent as a musician and poet, but because of his determination to achieve his goals of freedom and self-sufficiency. His ability to learn from and even benefit from his mistakes moved me, and he inspired me to persevere through my own obstacles. With the prison population in the US having passed 2 million people, and African-Americans incarcerated at an increasingly alarming rate, Mitch stands as a role model to those mired in the revolving door of the system. He is an example of someone who has redeemed himself through sheer determination.
-Rex Miller

note: a portfolio of stills from the film is viewable at

www.rexpix.net>portfolios>parchman