When most people think of the film industry, Hollywood comes to mind. But California is a bit far for film buffs who want to spend their summer exploring memorable locations from their favorite movies.
Fortunately, Mississippi has a small but thriving movie industry, with locations just a short road trip away. Many films have been shot on location in the Mississippi Delta—from classics such as “Baby Doll,” directed by Elia Kazan, to more current film titles such as “The Help.” Mississippian author John Grisham penned many novels set in the Delta that have since become films, including “The Chamber.”
Canton, known as the “Movie Capital of Mississippi,” is the backdrop for many popular movies such as “Mississippi Burning” and “My Dog Skip.” Other movies filmed in Canton, 26 miles north of Jackson, are “Waking in Mississippi,” “The Ponder Heart” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Prominently featured in several of these films is the picturesque Canton Square. “A Time to Kill,” another Grisham novel-turned-film, filmed scenes in the Canton courthouse in the historic square.
Most recently, “The Help,” featuring an all-star cast that includes Emma Stone, Sissy Spacek, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, used locations in both the Delta and Mississippi’s capital city. Here in Jackson, kick off your movie road trip at Brent’s Drugs, one of the Fondren locations featured in the film, before heading to Clarksdale and Greenwood, where most of the film was shot. In Clarksdale, the building formerly housing the “Clarksdale Press Register” became the “Jackson Journal” office.
Miss. Film Locations
“They Live by Night” – Canton
“A Time to Kill” – Canton
“My Dog Skip” – Canton
“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” – Canton, Edwards, Vicksburg
“Mississippi Burning” – Canton
“Waking in Mississippi” – Canton
“The Chamber” – Canton
“Biker Zombies from Detroit” – Canton
“The Ponder Heart” – Canton, Edwards
“Balast” – Canton
“Thieves Like Us” – Canton, Jackson
“The Help” – Greenwood, Clarksdale, Jackson
“Raintree County” – Natchez
“The Horse Soldiers” – Natchez
“Home from the Hill” – Oxford
“Baby Doll” – Benoit
“Mississippi Burning” – Vaiden
“Ode to Billy Joe” – Vaiden
The JFP inadvertently left out that “The Ponder Heart” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” filmed in other Mississippi locations in addition to Canton, such as Edwards.
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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.