Community leaders in Clarksdale, where Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” was set but not filmed, recently invited the cast and crew of the blockbuster hit to visit the Mississippi Delta to get a further sense of some of the flick’s themes and the people who helped inspire the setting. On Tuesday, the public was informed that the invitation had been accepted.
Tyler Yarbough, who led the effort through an open letter to Coogler and others involved in the film, confirmed on social media that “active conversation” with Warner Bros. has resulted in three public screenings and a Q&A session. While the film’s lead actor, Michael B. Jordan, will not be in attendance, Coogler will. The “Black Panther” and “Creed” filmmaker had family in Mississippi and used their stories to help inspire his newest.
Joining Coogler on the trip to Clarksdale will be Miles Caton, who played the role of young blues musician Sammie Moore in “Sinners.” Ludwig Göransson, the composer for the original score and soundtrack, will also be in attendance. All three will be in Clarksdale on Thursday to “introduce the film, connect with the community, and kick off three days of screenings,” per Yarbough.
The first screening, including an introduction by Coogler, will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. inside the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium. Immediately following, from 1:45 to 2 p.m., a panel discussion will take place. Another screening and introduction by Coogler will be held at 5 p.m.
While Thursday is the only day Coogler and company will be in town, the party won’t stop. Additional screenings will be held on Friday and Saturday with events taking place throughout the weekend, ranging from workforce development conversations to listening parties at famous juke joints such as Red’s Blues Lounge and Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club. The full schedule of events can be found here.
“Let’s pack the Civic, Clarksdale. Especially on Thursday when Coogler is in town,” Yarbough wrote on Facebook.
What is ‘Sinners’ about?
“Sinners” follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by Jordan, as the duo returns to their Mississippi Delta hometown in 1932 to open a juke joint. The opening night shindig is met with unwelcome, bloodthirsty guests and members of the Ku Klux Klan trying to crash the party. Other members of the cast include Caton, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, and Li Jun Li.
How did Clarksdale help inspire ‘Sinners’?
Coogler is not from Mississippi but used his family’s ties to the state to help come up with the film’s basis. The director’s uncle was born in Mississippi and would often tell the now-filmmaker about the history of blues music and what he experienced living in a racially divided South. Adding a supernatural element to not only keep viewers on the edge of their seats but also to represent the challenges Black people faced in the 1930s, “Sinners” has sold out theaters worldwide and grossed nearly $250 million.
Although the flick was filmed in Louisiana, there was a physical connection to Mississippi at the end when Buddy Guy and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram appeared in the ending credits scene. Guy is honored on the Mississippi Blues Trail and Ingram is a Clarksdale-born guitarist who helped with the film’s soundtrack.