Two Mississippi-made independent movies will be screened Friday night, March 24 at the Temple Theatre in Meridian.

On tap are Atoning and A Journey Through the Pines.

Atoning, a West Point-shot horror movie, was written and directed by Michael Williams. The film will be shown at 6 p.m.

The film’s plot revolves around two parents, haunted by ghostly apparitions, who try to protect their son from a secret that could destroy their family, according to IMDB. It’s Williams’ second feature film following 2014’s OzLand and his first horror film.

Following a preview screening in Columbus in early February, the film premiered at the Oxford Film Festival on Feb. 18. It was screened at the Magnolia Independent Film Festival in early March where it won the Best Home Grown award.

At 8 p.m., A Journey Through Pines, which was shot in and around Meridian, will make its premiere.

The movie is an adaptation of a novella written by Jimmy Andrews in 1993, according to the film’s website. Andrews served as director and executive producer for the film, with Laura de los Santos serving as screenwriter.

According to its website, the movie is set in rural Alabama, where a boy learns the heartache of young love. As an adult, his failed relationships lead him to believe there is no such thing as unconditional love and that everything in life has conditions placed upon it. As an adult, he sets out to ensure his young daughter understands ‘unconditional love’ exists only between a parent and child.

Cinema buff Thomas Burton, who has helped put on the Rails to Reel film festival in Meridian the past few years, said the screening gives filmmakers an opportunity they might not otherwise have.

“These filmmakers make these films and want to share them,” Burton said. “We want to showcase Mississippi films and this is the perfect way to do it.”

Some of the cast and crew from the films are scheduled to be on hand for a meet-and greet as well.

Tickets for the night are $10 per movie and can be purchased at the Temple Box Office or online.

More information

For more information about the films, including trailers, visit:

www.ajourneythroughpines.com/about/

http://shendopenfilms.bigcartel.com/