A powerful new drama rooted in resilience and community is on the way.
Jada Keche, Lionel Johnson Jr., and Carolyn Michelle Smith are stepping into leading roles in Lowndes County, the narrative feature from acclaimed artist Kevin Jerome Everson. The film, which just wrapped production in Columbus, Mississippi, is shaping up to be both timely and emotional.
Set in rural Mississippi in 1959—a pivotal year in the segregated South—the story explores the strength of a community determined to rise above systemic oppression.
A Story Rooted in History
Lowndes County unfolds during a tense chapter of American history—five years after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision but still years away from the Civil Rights Act. The film follows Borne (Keche), a brave and resourceful teenager, and her older brother Gago (Johnson Jr.) as they fight to keep their education alive after their school bus is vandalized.
With the system working against them, the siblings lean on their community to find strength and guidance. That includes Cassilee (Smith), known as the “Queen of Catfish Alley,” who teaches them lessons about history, survival, and power.
Inspired by Real Life
Written by Everson and playwright Talaya Delaney, the film is inspired by Everson’s own family history—specifically his father and uncle’s experiences as teenage bus drivers in Columbus, Mississippi, during the 1950s.
Lowndes County is produced by Madeleine Molyneaux, Everson, Delaney, and Kahlil I. Pedizisai, with casting by Erica Arvold and Dustin Presley.
Everson’s first narrative feature is deeply personal, grounded in his family’s lived experiences and the collective memory of the civil rights era.
Why It Matters
At its core, Lowndes County is about resilience in the face of systems designed to break people down. It’s a story of young people who refuse to be silenced, a community that rises up together, and the everyday acts of resistance that fueled change long before history books caught up.
By focusing on teens simply trying to make it to school, the film reminds us that progress wasn’t only driven by iconic leaders or headline-making moments—but also by ordinary people whose courage reshaped history.