Student Film Camp Set For June in Cleveland

Film Camp Part of Fannie Lou Hamer K-12 Curriculum; Funded By W.K. Kellogg Foundation and ATMOS Energy

CLEVELAND, MS – MARCH 24, 2025 – An award-winning film camp designed to teach high school students in the Mississippi Delta how to make their own movies and short videos has been set for June 2–June 20 at the historic Ellis Theatre in Cleveland, MS.

Students from the Sunflower County Academy working on their movie set.

Founded in 2018, the Sunflower County Film Academy is a STEM workshop that recruits up to 15 students from Delta high schools and introduces them to the Digital Arts and Media field while preparing them for careers in the entertainment industry.

During the free three-week program, students learn to use professional-grade production equipment as they work to complete a short film under the direction of their instructors Ben Powell of Broken Arm Studio and Glenn Payne of Dead Leaf Productions. Both are award-winning filmmakers.

“This program is fantastic for the growth of the kids,” said Payne, who has been producing movies for nearly 20 years. “If they're like I was as a teen, they've never had the chance to experience anything like this. It opens up a world of possibilities, both artistically and career-wise.”

This year’s guest instructor is Delta native Laietta Wade-Robinson of Eittabug Productions.  

The workshop is open to any high school student in the Mississippi Delta but does not provide transportation. The camp will be held Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and snacks will be provided. The premiere of the class film will be held Friday, June 20 at the Ellis Theatre and is open to the community.

During the workshop, students are taught the aesthetics of filmmaking from start to finish while learning to work together in teams and express themselves creatively. They also learn skills that will prepare them for adulthood and the workforce such as punctuality, accountability, decision-making and public speaking.

Glenn Payne (kneeling) and students set up a movie scene.

Because the workshop takes place in June when many students are looking for summer jobs, participants will receive scholarship funds to help with school, college or family expenses.

Students can apply online at: https://www.fannielouhamersamerica.com/scfa-application

The Sunflower County Film Academy is part of the K-12 educational curriculum for the award-winning film, Fannie Lou Hamer’s America. A humanitarian and voting and equal rights advocate, Hamer was a fierce proponent of education and fought to bring the first Head Start program to Mississippi in the late 1960s. Hamer died on March 14, 1977.

This is the third year the Delta Arts Alliance|Ellis Theatre in Bolivar County has hosted the film camp. Prior workshops have been held in Hamer’s native Sunflower County and Tallahatchie County. Students have attended from Indianola, Ruleville, Boyle, Rosedale, Clarksdale, Greenville,  Sumner, Drew, Shelby, Shaw, Cleveland and Leland.

This year’s workshop was funded by grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and ATMOS Energy.