For decades, students from Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science have spent semesters uncovering local history at Friendship Cemetery through Tales from the Crypt. Now, their work is heading to the big screen.
“A Mississippi Story,” a documentary film by Ed Robbins that chronicles MSMS students’ journey of researching historical local figures and portraying them in Friendship Cemetery, has been selected to premiere Sept. 22 at the Richmond International Film Festival in Virginia.
“For 37 years, MSMS students have been contributing Tales from the Crypt to our community and state,” Chuck Yarborough, MSMS history teacher and project director, wrote in a text to The Dispatch. “To have (an) award-winning filmmaker like Ed Robbins spend so much time filming and editing a film to share that story with the nation is a wonderful affirmation of the project and its positive impact on students and the larger community.”
Robbins, a New York City-based documentary filmmaker whose work has aired on PBS, National Geographic and others, was spending time in Columbus with a friend when he watched Tales from the Crypt. He was blown away by the “exhilaration” and “intensity” students brought to the performances, he said.
“I was just expecting your typical high school recital, and it was just so impressive,” Robbins told The Dispatch on Thursday. “I thought, ‘Wow,’ especially in these times when history has become a bit contentious. They’re out there uncovering local shared histories in this magical way.”
Inspired, Robbins followed the next class of students’ process during the 2023-2024 school year, from researching historical figures and writing papers to refining scripts and opening for the public.
In his director’s note, Robbins said he fell in love with the students’ insights, intelligence and enthusiasm during the filming process. The stories they uncovered often touched on their own identities and family histories, he said.
“My hope is this can be a catalyst for conversations on the value of uncovering ‘more history’ and of embracing … our heritage in all of its complexities,” Robbins said.
“A Mississippi Story” is one of more than 170 films premiering at the festival, and while only those attending in-person or virtual watchers in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. will have access to the screening, Robbins hopes the film will eventually make its way to Mississippi on the festival circuit. A trailer is currently available to watch at amississippistory.edrobbinsfilms.com.
“I just did it as a labor of love to actually celebrate the project and celebrate these kids and preserve this, which has never been preserved before,” Robbins told The Dispatch. “This is the first documentary that really does this project in depth, and I plan to, once the festival circuit is over, I’m going to donate it to the school as part of their legacy.”
Yarborough said he is proud of the efforts students put into the performance each year and the thousands in funding for charitable causes they’ve raised through Tales from the Crypt.
“The film does a great job illustrating how impactful the project is for MSMS students and their leadership development,” he said. “Our communities, state and nation will benefit from skills students gain in the project.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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