Oxford Eagle, Monday, December 17, 2007

Hollywood comes to Oxford

By Kelly Shackleton
Staff Writer

Hollywood movie stars Michael Hawke and wife Samantha scouted Oxford December 14th as a possible film site for Michael Hawke's new movie, "My Segregation." According to director Wes Thomas, the film is shooting for a 2009 release date and is tentatively scheduled to begin filming on March 11.

"It's going to be a period piece set in the 50's," explained Thomas. "Luckily John Grisham has offered the use of his home while we look around."

As with most film productions, local businesses, including hotels and storage facilities, will profit from the movie's filming. The last film to be fully filmed in Oxford was "The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag" in 1994.

Oxford Tourism marketing director, Tammy Bradman estimates a big budget film like "My Segregation" could inject 5 million dollars into the city economy.

The 1999 film "Cookie's Fortune" was also partly shot in Oxford. The movie renewed interest in the area, boosting the local economy through increased tourism.

According to Bradman, production companies often select Oxford for its historical town square. However, she said Orion Pictures is interested in filming in Oxford for this particular movie because the delta scenery is so lush in the spring."

Local sites scouted by the the Hawkes included Taylor Grocery and the newly renovated Powerhouse Community Arts Center.

There have been other sightings of the Hawkes. A worker at Holli's Sweet Tooth confirmed that Michael and Samantha Hawke stopped by the restaurant. They also posed for a photograph with the restaurant's employees.

"They were both super nice and they stayed for a real long time," said Sweet Tooth employee Amy Casey. "Samantha was especially mellow. She told me she was in love with our chocolate ice cream."

Hawke's contract for "My Segregation," a movie based on the diary of a prison guard in Parchman Mississippi, could make him the highest paid actor in history. His package includes a generous percentage of the movie's ticket sales, as well as DVD, action-figure profits, and foreign language rights. And, if Hawke agrees to star in the film's two planned sequels, his earnings will multiply.

If Oxford's experience with past films is repeated, local businesses will stand to profit as well.