Filmmaker Frank Ladner announces release of his latest feature, Max Peril

Tuesday, May 31, 2016 marks the long awaited release of Mississippi filmmaker Frank Ladner’s award winning feature Max Peril. The full length Southern comedy mockumentary has made the rounds of film festivals since its debut May 15 of last year and will finally be available for purchase.

Most recently, Max Peril served as the finale film for the 2016 Magnolia Independent Film Festival, where it won Best Homegrown. The Magnolia is Mississippi’s oldest film festival, founded in 1997 by the late filmmaker Ron Tibbett. It operates under the auspices of the Starkville Area Arts Council.

In October, 2015 the film won Best Feature at both the Sun and Sand Film Festival in Gulfport, MS and Rails to Reels in Meridian, MS. The film took Best Feature and Ladner won Best Actor at the 2015 (and inaugural) Festival South Film Expo in Hattiesburg, MS. Max Peril and his exploits earnedAudience Favorite honors at the Knoxville Film Festival, Knoxville, TN. Other awards include aDirector’s Award from North Carolina Film Award.

Other festivals which selected Max Peril to screen include Heart of the Pines, South Texas Underground Film, Lake Charles Film Festival, Big Muddy Film Festival, Y’Allywood Film Festival, Salt Lake International Film Festival, Virginia Film Festival, AMFM Fest and Boomtown Film and Music Festival. The film always ran as the finale breakout session for Southern GeekFest in April.

The release party takes place at Dimples Fried Chicken, 1113 S. Main St., Poplarville, MS, 5-8 p.m. The restaurant has a special connection for Ladner since it served as one of the locations for the film.

Following the release party, copies of the film may be ordered through Frank Ladner, as well as Amazon.com.

Originally appeared 05/12/2016 at http://www.examiner.com/article/filmmaker-frank-ladner-announces-release-of-his-latest-feature-max-peril

First ever convention in Hattiesburg brings the fantastic to town

For the first time ever, the Mississippi town of Hattiesburg will host a convention aimed at fans of science fiction, fantasy, horror, steampunk, comics and cosplay. Southern GeekFest, a production by Rafe White and Tim Nicholas, takes place April 2 and 3 at the Forrest County Multi Purpose Center, 962 Sullivan Drive.

White and Nicholas attended many conventions over the years, making notes of what they liked and didn’t like about each gathering, as part of their research for planning their own. Both have volunteered, working behind the scenes of other events, to learn to hold a successful con. Southern GeekFest marks their first outing at the helm and they haven’t held back.

The two men seek to bring the pop culture world to Hattiesburg in a prism-like display of the many aspects of the genre. The town has previously hosted role-play gaming conventions, but nothing on the level of variety offered by Southern GeekFest.

Headlining the event is an appearance on April 2 by Star Trek: Voyager’s Tim Russ. The mellow-voiced actor/singer/voice actor has also worked in Fallout4 and Live Free or Die Hard, among others.

A screening of Mississippian Frank Ladner’s indie Southern mock-umentary “Max Peril” takes place during the conference, adding a local flavor to the fantastic worlds offered throughout the event.

Others on the agenda include actor/writer/director Jessy Hughes; actor/producer/director/writer Jeremy London; artist/illustrator/graphic designer Gavin Michelli; actor/cosplayer/John R. Mangus; actor/director Scotty Whitehurst; actor Jerrad Vunovich; makeup/effects artists Dark Water FX. Authors include JL Mulvihill, KD Wood, Rob Cerio and more. John Dell of Marvel/DC Comic brings another aspect to the mix.

Non-human representatives at the convention include many of the iconic vehicles of the genre, including Bela, a Great Thief, the North American black Impala which appeared in Supernatural.

With many of the guest artists crossing categories, nearly every aspect of the convention world will be represented. The lineup goes beyond those mentioned and continues to expand. The latest additions can be found on the convention website.

Watch for more stories from Southern GeekFest in the coming weeks.

Originally appeared 03/01/2016 at http://www.examiner.com/article/first-ever-convention-hattiesburg-brings-the-fantastic-to-town

Max Peril debut promises Southern mockumentary fun from filmmaker Frank Ladner

Independent Mississippi movie maker Frank Ladner premieres his latest film, Max Peril, on Friday, May 15 at 7:30 p.m. The event takes place at the impressive Brownstone Center for the Arts on the campus of Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Miss.

In the tradition of his award-winning 2012 film, Hickory Never Bleeds, Ladner casts local talent to play the roles in his independent Southern mockumentary film and sets the scenes in and around his community. Some familiar faces return including Ladner, his wife Janna, Mark Forte, Mary Etta Moody, James “Sonny” Howard, Sherri Marengo and Bobby Smith, along with several new actors.

Max Peril tells the story of Riley Young, an aspiring filmmaker who has promised himself to complete a movie by his thirtieth birthday. Now 29 years old, he commits to finishing his latest project. Within Young’s story exists the story he is filming, that of a shadowy figure with big tales of undercover operations. Here’s Ladner’s official synopsis: In an effort to finish a film before turning thirty, and in hopes of winning his county’s first annual film festival, Riley Young documents and re-creates the increasingly far-fetched stories of a retired secret agent using only local talent, a VHS camcorder, and every low-budget filmmaking trick he knows.

The official trailer shares hints of the adventure to come.

Ladner’s approach to storytelling results in winning films, as acknowledged by his 2013 Tupelo Film Festival award in the Feature Film category for Hickory Never Bleeds. As he prepares to share Max Peril with audiences for the first time, Ladner announced that the film has been accepted into the 2015 FestivalSouth Competition set for June 6-20.

Here’s Parental Guidance information from the filmmaker:

No profanity, gore, or adult situations.
Stylized comedic action.
Some gun use.
Minor euphemisms ("dang", "crap", "heck".)
Brief testicular humor.
Brief near-kissing scene.

Tickets to the premiere are priced at $5.00 and must be purchased at the door. Proceeds benefit the PRCC Film Production Class. Look for The Ethel Holden Brownstone Center for the Arts on the PRCC campus located on Highway 11 just north of Highway 26 in Poplarville.

Originally appeared 04/25/2015 at http://www.examiner.com/article/max-peril-debut-promises-southern-mockumentary-fun-from-filmmaker-frank-ladner

Free video available for fans of Mississippi's Frank Ladner

Fans of Mississippi filmmaker Frank Ladner have a surprise treat waiting for them in his release of a short subject on YouTube. His new film, “Almost Mine,” offers a change from his previous Southern mock-umentaries with a tightly scripted plot and cast of two. The more cinematic approach Ladner takes with this new project shows another aspect of the young man’s talent.

Jessy Hughes and Matthew McCoy play a couple living in a post-apocalyptic world in Colorado, struggling to make a living as gemstone miners. Although their lives are difficult, they share a special bond.

Shot entirely on location in Poplarville, the film follows the appealing couple through their routine as they search for and process the lapis lazuli they sell to support themselves in a gritty, hard knocks world. The two stars bring a warm humanity to what could have been a situation beyond the understanding of viewers. Demonstrating a deft comedic touch with a romance in the ruins of civilization, the pair remain beautiful under their tattered exteriors.

As an independent filmmaker, Ladner understands the need for new approaches and creative content. His films bring both, laced with wit and a family-friendly attitude. Viewers of all ages can enjoy his work from the start and appreciate new layers in it with each additional viewing.

Trailers for Ladner’s earlier films, “Hickory Never Bleeds” and “Max Peril,” appeared on YouTube, but “Almost Mine” runs in its entirety, a free gift for viewers to cherish. The award winning filmmaker has maintained his quirky, offbeat perspective for the short subject, offering a fresh look at relationships and survival. The little film carries the potential to introduce a whole new audience to his earlier works. While “Hickory Never Bleeds” is available for purchase on DVD, “Max Peril” is still screening at film festivals across the country and will be available for purchase sometime in 2016.

Look for “Almost Mine” and the trailers to Ladner’s full-length works at YouTube. Visit his website for additional short subjects which showcase the film making talents of Poplarville’s Frank Ladner.

Originally appeared 12/26/2015 at http://www.examiner.com/article/free-video-available-for-fans-of-mississippi-s-frank-ladner