Our movie provides the opportunity for all ages, male and female, to act in not bit parts but lead roles, exposing their talent in ways they never could before. Our story highlights untold perspectives of race, gender and religion in the American South. Our production will feature a diverse crew.

Brookstock: A Rock 'n' Roll Generation 

The Rooks playing a show in Lincoln County, Mississippi. 

 

Our movie focuses on the untold story of teenagers in Brookhaven, Mississippi who loved the music they heard on the radio and made it their own. In the late 1960s, young folks like Don Jacobs and Edward Tree formed Rock 'n' Roll bands in this conservative small town in the American South. There were The Brutes. There were the Rooks. And later, there were the Escorts and Something of Mind. These bands were an anomaly, pioneers of the counter-cultural movement in a place it had only just begun to reach. 

 

Thirty years later, these small town heroes would reunite. Some had gone overseas. Some made careers out of music and others didn't. They came back to Brookhaven in 1998 for their high school reunion and Don Jacobs got the Brutes back together to play a show. Little did he know that this would become a new tradition, a destination music event and iconic representation of Mississippi culture.

 

Twenty years since then, Brookstock just occurred in the summer of 2018 for the eighteen time. Those teenagers from the bygone era, now grown up, continue to return year after year to play rock 'n' roll in Brookhaven, Mississippi. This is their story. 

 

Kings of Lincoln County: American Graffiti Meets The Big Chill

When the idea of making a movie about Brookstock came to us, we decided to borrow a page from two American classics. Combining the coming-of-age nostalgia of American Graffiti and the retrospective insight of The Big Chill to our original story with a Southern twist, our movie will take place in two time periods with a young and mature cast of characters. 

 

The Brutes at their first gig in Brookhaven, Mississippi. 

 

Kings of Lincoln County, named after Brookhaven musician Tony Norton's song, is a true story that needs to be told. It's a rock film packed with original music from these undiscovered artists. It's a movie about America then and now, a movie that young and old will find a home with. 

 

Fifty Years Later: It's Time to Tell the Story 

Virgil Brawley as photographed by Lonnie Kees. 

 

This year, not long before the 2018 Brookstock, one of the key people of the movement passed away. Virgil Brawley, a highly-praised blues musician and respected figure in the arts, founded The Brutes with Don Jacobs. In June, he died of a heart attack, sudden and unexpected. He left one hell of a legacy. It is regretful that Virgil will not be able to participate in the making of our movie and his passing is a reminder that we need to tell this story now while the Brookstock generation is still here to see it done right. 

 

Now is Your Chance to Help Make this Movie 

 

Since 2016, I have been producing films in Mississippi. From our comedy/mystery Porches and Private Eyes to our Southern-set Western Blood Country and our Gulf Coast crime saga Cornbread Cosa Nostra, my passion is putting local stories on the big screen that might have otherwise never seen.

 

Travis Mills during production in April 2018 for our most recent Mississippi film, Son of a Gun. 

 

Our movies are produced for responsible budgets with the goal to create a sustainable film movement here in Mississippi and wherever there are driven local storytellers. We feature local actors in lead roles instead of bit parts and our crews are filled with filmmakers from around the South. These independent movies of ours continue to provide the opportunity for many to break into the film industry. Through the reach of streaming services like Amazon, our work also allows for local community and culture to see national and international exposure. 

 

We are raising 10,000 dollars as the base funding for Kings of Lincoln County with the hope to be chosen by Hometown Heroes for further funding. However, we want to be clear about our goal: even if we are not rewarded the final prize, we will push forward to make Kings of Lincoln County with whatever means we have!

 

So please donate to support our movie, check out the great incentives we're offering, and spread the word about Kings of Lincoln County.