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32 Artscene · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2009 Prom Night in Mississippi and Oakville Hollywood superstar Morgan Freeman guest of honour at screening By Melanie Cummings SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER When actor Morgan Freeman asked a senior class of students to check their racist thinking at the door of their high school prom, it set a small Mississippi town into a tailspin. And Oakville director Paul Saltzman and co-producer Patricia Aquino were there to capture the antics in a documentary to be released today, called Prom Night in Mississippi. The trio attended a private screening of the film Wednesday night at the Cineplex Burloak Theatres, as part of a fundraiser for a followup educational DVD called Moving Beyond Prejudice. While Prom Night tells the story of Charleston High School hosting its first ever integrated spring dance in 2008, it tells the story of historical and current prejudices, overt, insidious and covert, that are perpetuated by parents, educators and children in this town of 2,100 people. In every other aspect of life at Charleston high school there has been integration since 1970. Black and white students learn in the same classes, play on the same sports teams and interact in the cafeteria and on the school grounds. But very few socialize outside of school life. And proms have always been segregated. With the belief that youths are the key to affecting social change, Freeman, who also lives in Charleston, originally offered to foot the bill for a mixed prom in 1997. But the East Tallahatche District School Board ignored his offer. He repeated it a decade later at the urging of Saltzman, who had heard about Freeman's idea, while researching another film in Charleston about the changes in race relations since his last visit in 1965, when he volunteered to register black Americans on voters' lists. "It's my prayer that this (prom) will be a catalyst to interact socially," Freeman says in the film. When he approaches the senior class in January 2008 he bluntly asks, "Any of you who doesn't want one prom, put up your hand." Not one hand rises. "It's the stupidest thing that in this time, in our lives, you children are being brought up in this way. I want to end it and from what I'm hearing, so do you," Freeman says to the students. TOP PHOTO BY DEREK WOOLLAM / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER From the film emerge young activists who are keen to change SPECIAL NIGHT: Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman (top centre) was in Oakville Wednesday night for a the racist landscape of their town, screening of a documentary called Prom Night in Mississippi based on his initiative. The film, which includes the three stills and to expose the lies of prejudice. highlighted here, was created by Oakville director Paul Saltzman (top right) and wife/producer Patricia Aquino (top left). See Film page 33