Sunflower County Film Academy
Student Films
SCFA Student Jocelyn Surney who came up with the story behind, The Date, talks about its concept and her experience in film camp.
2025
Film One: The Date (Website)
Story By: SCFA Student Jocelyn Surney
Written By: The Students of the 2025 Sunflower County Film Academy and Laeitta Wade Robinson (Eittabug Productions)
Co-Director: SCFA Student Jocelyn Surney
Editor: Laeitta Wade Robinson (Eittabug Productions)
Film Two: AMIRA (Website)
Story By: SCFA Student Libbi Jenkins
Written By: The Students of the 2025 Sunflower County Film Academy and Glenn Payne
Co-Director: SCFA Student Libbi Jenkins
Editor: Glenn Payne (Dead Leaf Productions)
Film Three: Toxic Set (aka Lights, Camera, Action!) (Website)
Story By: SCFA Student Shanarius Ross
Written By: The Students of the 2025 Sunflower County Film Academy and Glenn Payne
Co-Director: SCFA Student Shanarius Ross
Editor: Glenn Payne (Dead Leaf Productions)
Producer: Monica Land (Fannie Lou Hamer’s America)
Production Crew: 2025 Sunflower County Film Academy Students
For our 2025 film camp, our instructors did something different and had the students come up with what the class film would be about. The ideas were so good, the students did three short films instead of one. And for the first time, the students also had a chance to direct!
2024
Film: Whenever You’re Ready
Written By: Glenn Payne (Dead Leaf Productions)
Producers: Glenn Payne and Ben Powell (Broken Arm Studio)
Executive Producer: Monica Land (Fannie Lou Hamer’s America)
Production Crew|Videographers: Sunflower County Film Academy
Festivals: 2025 Magnolia Film Festival; 2025 Oxford Film Festival
Awards: 2024 Best Shorts Competition - Award of Merit - Special Mention
Behind The Scenes of “Whenever You’re Ready” and the 2024 Sunflower County Film Academy.
Our 2024 Sunflower County Film Academy student film was, “Whenever You’re Ready.”
The trailer for the nationally syndicated series, African American Short Films by Badami TV, featuring, “Help Wanted”.
2023
Film: Help Wanted
Written By: Glenn Payne (Dead Leaf Productions)
Producers: Glenn Payne and Ben Powell (Broken Arm Studio)
Executive Producer: Monica Land (Fannie Lou Hamer’s America)
Production Crew|Videographers: Sunflower County Film Academy
Festivals: 2023 Best Shorts Competition; 2024 Magnolia Film Festival; 2024 Oxford Film Festival; 2024 JXN Film Festival (See More)
Awards: 2023 Best Shorts Competition - Award of Merit “Film Short (Student); Award of Merit - “Young Filmmaker - 17 and younger”; Award of Recogntion for Actor Leading (Student) Merion Turner (Read More)
Special Showings: The Magnolia Filming Festival Red Carpet Premiere; Mississippi Indie Film Forum
National Broadcast: African American Short Films (Badami TV) (Read More)
Watch our 2023 student film, “Help Wanted”.
A Behind The Scenes look at “Help Wanted” and the student production crew of the 2023 Sunflower County Film Academy.
Film: An Army Rising Up
Producers: Dr, Pablo Correa, Robert “RJ” Fitzpatrick, Dr. Brian Graves, Kyle Jones
Academic Consultant: Davis W. Houck
Executive Producer: Monica Land (Fannie Lou Hamer’s America)
Production Crew|Videographers: Sunflower County Film Academy
Festivals: 2023 Oxford Film Festival; 2022 Sarasota Film Festival
Watch “An Army Rising Up”.
2021
2018
Film: Find Your Voice
Producers: Joy Davenport, Pablo Correa and Robert “RJ” Fitzpatrick
Executive Producer: Monica Land (Fannie Lou Hamer’s America)
Production Crew|Videographers: Sunflower County Film Academy
Film Festivals: 2019 Crossroads Film Festival
Watch “Find Your Voice” and the Behind The Scenes video!
The first short video, “Out of Many” written by the students of our inaugural Sunflower County Film Academy in 2018.