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NEWS
4A • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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WEDNESDAY,JUNE27,2001
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Film about Confederacy focuses on satire
By Ryan Dolan Special to the Kansan
Hollywood has tackled a lot of taboos during the past few years, but one issue remains virtually untouched.
Hollywood has failed to adequately address one particular taboo in a mainstream movies since the advent of sound: the enslavement of African people in the United States.
"It's the frustration of when you write things for Hollywood and they love them, but it's very difficult to get them produced," said Kevin Willmott, professor of film. "Mainly because slavery has got this weight on it."
Willmott speaks from experience. He and his part-time writing partner drafted a script about abolitionist John Brown, which director Oliver Stone bought but never produced.
That's why Willmott, a veteran
screenwriter, is in the middle of producing a "mockumentary" called C.S.A., which stands for Confederate States of America.
Co-producer, and KU alumnus, Brian Meade invited Willmott and producer Ric Cowan to show a test screen of C.S.A. last Sunday in Overland Park to conclude Meade's Halfway to Hollywood film festival.
About 500 people showed up for the screening, at the 250-seat Rio Theatre.
Because the film deals with the touchy subject of slavery, Willmott and Cowan wanted to get audience reaction before they went back to the editing room and got it ready for the film festival circuit.
"Everyone really seemed to love the film," Willmott said. "You're always looking for ways to deal with the history so that you can get the story out in some new kind of way to hopefully to
Cowan focused on the satire aspect of the film.
get around the so-called 'problem.'"
"And satire's a little bit more acceptable than preaching, and that's what we hope we hit with this."Cowan said.
Fashioned after the style of documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns, C.S.A. speculates about how the United States would be if the Confederate army had won the Civil War.
Although certain fictional events in the film strike some as humorous, Willmott claims that everything about slavery in the film is true.
A scene dealing with "drepdomania" is a prime example. Coined by a pre-Civil War doctor, drepdomania was the "medical condition" that caused slaves to run away from their masters.
"Everything I say about it is verbatim," Willmott said. "How
to prescribe and treat slaves to keep them from running away; it comes from the writings of Dr. Cartwright."
C. S.A. was filmed in and around Lawrence and Kansas City using an entirely volunteer crew and cast, many of whom have KU ties.
With such a provocative topic and promising screening, the filmmakers hope to be able to sell C.S.A. to PBS or a cable channel, or luck into a film distribution contract.
"The entire point of this is so that we can get that deal, so we can dance with those who brung us," Cowan said. "So we can turn to all these people who've helped us on two films, and say, 'What's your rate? Great. You're booked for the next four weeks.' That's the goal."
Dolan can be reached at 864-4810 or writer@kansan.com
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