The official selections for the Southern Documentary and Music Category competition for the 2016 Macon Film Festival (July 21–24) have been announced.
 
'An important element of the mission of Macon Film Festival is to celebrate the Southern and Musical heritage of Central Georgia. We appreciate these filmmakers for entering their films into our competition, and we congratulate them their teams for being selected in these two special categories,” said Macon Film Festival board president, Julie Wilkerson.
 
The complete listing of official selections are both domestic and international, including selections from Afghanistan, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Norway, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the USA. All films will screen twice during the festival, except for the special screenings and spotlight films, which will only screen once.

SOUTHERN DOCUMENTARY
 
EAT WHITE DIRT / USA (Director: Adam Forrester) – Eat White Dirt weaves the story of Tammy Wright, a 37 year old addicted to eating kaolin, with that of scientists, local historians, a physician, an artist, and other practitioners of earth-eating. Each is connected by their own unique kinship with kaolin, or ‘white dirt.’ The film focuses on this practice within the American South while also referencing its global perspective.
 
FARMER/VETERAN / USA (Director: Alix Blair) – After three combat tours in Iraq, Alex Sutton attempts a fresh start hatching chickens and raising goats on 43 acres in rural North Carolina. Alex embraces life on the farm with his new love Jessica, but cycles between a state of heightened alert and “feeling zombified” from a cocktail of prescriptions meant to stabilize his injured mind.
 
HOTEL CLERMONT / USA (Director:  Heather Hudson) – This film honors the Clermont: a place all Atlantans know of, but few know. The hotel intrigues all walks of life. Part of the fascination is due to its basement tenant: Atlanta’s oldest strip club. The residents who rented rooms in the hotel upstairs occupied even further-outlying corners of Atlanta society. It is their stories we aim to tell.
 
YAZOO REVISITED: INTEGRATION AND SEGREGATION IN A DEEP SOUTHERN TOWN / USA (Director: Rae Morris) – History of race relations and the 1970 integration of the public schools in Yazoo City, Mississippi, the hometown of the filmmaker’s father, the late writer, Willie Morris.
 
MUSIC CATEGORY

BRANCHES/ USA (Director: James Kicklighter) – When a young girl answers the siren song of a boy, she loses and finds herself in the forest.
 
CAB ELVIS / USA (Director: Andrew Franks) – Dave Groh, a cab driver who dresses like Elvis, finds himself not only in a battle with the city of Seattle but also the dark side of Elvis.
 
HAMMEL ON TRIAL ‘AN ARTIST IN AMERICA’  / USA (Director: Vic Campos) – Documentary short on legendary NYC musician/artist/punk poet/anti-folk hero Hamell on Trial who has defied any easy categorization in a career that is now entering its 30th year. Along with live performances, it’s time to see and hear what everyone has been talking about.
 
NATHAN EAST: FOR THE RECORD / USA (Director: Chris Gero) – a film that takes viewers behind-the-scenes as one of the most influential bass players in modern music recorded his debut solo album. The film chronicles Nathan’s career from when he hit the road at age 16 with Barry White, his session and touring work across musical genres, and membership in the legendary jazz quartet Fourplay.
 
SWEET DILLARD  / USA (Director: Jim Virga) – From the first day of class to a national competition, Sweet Dillard provides an inside look at one of the nation’s best public high school jazz bands.