Neshoba

Neshoba tells the story of a Mississippi town still divided about the meaning of justice, 40 years after the 1964 murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. The case, which received national attention when the three men went missing, and which US President Lyndon B. Johnson assigned the FBI to investigate and solve, became known as 'Mississippi Burning.'

For four decades, the State of Mississippi refused to prosecute any of the members of the Ku Klux Klan directly responsible for the murders, even though they bragged openly about what they did. While the killers continued to live and prosper, most townspeople remained silent, as if the murders never happened.

In 2004, a multi-racial coalition of Neshoba County citizens got together to erase the stain from their town by publicly pressuring the State to bring murder charges against the so-called Mississippi Burning murderers. Meeting with opposition and even hostility from some of their neighbors, members of the coalition were resolute in their call for justice, healing and racial reconciliation. Finally, on January 6, 2005, the State of Mississippi indicted the alleged mastermind of the killings, Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old Baptist preacher and notorious racist.

By interweaving new and archival footage, Neshoba paints a picture of Neshoba County from 1964 to 2005, using the Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner case as a barometer of what has changed for both blacks and whites since the murders. The film examines the complicity of local, state and federal government officials who deliberately fanned the flames of hate and violence. It questions why the State of Mississippi took four decades to seek justice, and why only one person was singled out when at least eight others who participated in the murders are still alive. Finally, the film explores whether the prosecution of one unrepentant Klansman constitutes justice and whether healing and reconciliation are possible without telling the unvarnished truth.

Trailer

Credits

Directors/Producers/Executive Producers: Micki Dickoff, Tony Pagano
Co-Producer: Christie Webb
Cinematographer: Tony Pagano
Writer: Micki Dickoff
Editors: Micki Dickoff, Tony Pagano
Composer: Chris Davis
Total Running Time: 90 min.
Website:
neshobafilm.com

About The Filmmakers

MICKI DICKOFF has been an independent filmmaker and social activist for more than 30 years. Her production company, Pro Bono Productions, develops and produces socially significant narrative and documentary films. Dickoff's documentary and dramatic films have dealt with such issues as AIDS, human rights, poverty and the justice system, and have been broadcast on PBS, ABC, Bravo, Lifetime, Court TV, Channel 4/London, the BBC and the Women's Television Network in Canada. Her films have been screened and honored at film festivals around the world.

Dickoff's directing, writing and producing credits include the award-winning documentaries Step By Step and Bush's Deadly Ambition, about the justice system and death penalty; and Too Little, Too Late, about AIDS and families, for which she won an Emmy Award. Dickoff also co-produced the Peabody Award-winning Our Sons, an ABC Television movie, based on Too Little, Too Late.

Dickoff received a fellowship from the Directors Guild of America and was selected to participate in the Directing Workshop for Women at the American Film Institute. She was honored as an Alumna of Outstanding Achievement from the University of Florida and an Alumna of Distinction from UF's College of Journalism and Communications, where she earned her MA in film.

TONY PAGANO makes his feature directorial debut on Neshoba. With a career spanning 32 years in the commercial and network broadcast industry, Pagano spent 17 years at the ABC News Magazine 20/20, first as an editor, then location audio, and finally as director of photography. He currently owns and operates his independent production company, Pagano Productions, based in New York City.

Pagano has collaborated on and filmed numerous productions that have received national Emmy, DuPont and Peabody awards, along with The New York Festival's World Medal for International Television. In addition, he has had the honor of filming five US presidents, as well as dignitaries, movie stars and professional athletes.

Awards

Boston Film Festival: Best Documentary
New York International Independent Film and Video Festival: Best Political Documentary & Best Directors
Indie Memphis Film Festival: Best Documentary
Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival: Best Documentary
Oxford Film Festival: Best Mississippi Film