By: Knox Graham
 
JACKSON, Miss.—The Mississippi Film office celebrated a big milestone at the state capital on Thursday.
 
“We’re celebrating the 40^th anniversary of the creation of the Mississippi Film Office,” said Director Ward Emling.
 
The celebration took place just inside the capital building in the rotunda and as evidenced by the photo, a massive cake dedicated to films made within the state was present.
 
“A Time to Kill, The Chamber, Ghosts of Mississippi, of course O Brother Where Art Thou were all made in the state.  We also have had As I Lay Dying the Faulkner film and oh, I almost forgot, The Help.”
 
Emling says over two dozen films have already cleared the incentive package for filming in the state in the near future and the film office is waiting for the films to get into production.  Most of those are “small budget films” but he said that’s relative depending on one’s opinion.
 
For reference, Emling said, “The Help was a $30M budget film but small budget is relative to each person.”
 
The latest movie to gain recognition for coming into the state and filming was Rumors of Wars that shot in the Jackson metro area along with a few scenes in rural parts of Madison County.