Mary Badham and Gregory Peck
in To Kill a Mockingbird
When Mary Badham, the eternally-eight-year-old Scout Finch in the 1962 film To Kill A Mockingbird, introduces its screening at Highlands Cashiers Film Festival (September 18-21 at Highlands Performing Arts Center), she’ll remind its audience to open their hearts to its timeless message.
“This film has always been a wonderful teaching tool – for tolerance, for strong families and good parenting, and for strong, compassionate communities,” Ms. Badham says.
She’s spent years showcasing the movie at film festivals around the world and underlining its message of courage and moral clarity. In 2012, she attended a screening of To Kill a Mockingbird with President Barack Obama at the White House to mark the 50th anniversary of its release.
Ms. Badham says that once the film is presented, she’ll entertain questions from the audience and spotlight the genial behind-the-scenes atmosphere that infused the production.
Mary Badham
“Gregory Peck was precisely the gentleman that he was in front of the camera, playing my (on-screen) father Atticus Finch,” she says. “On weekends, he’d invite my family to spend time with his family, and he was like a kind father to me. Always – even after the film came out and the years separated us.”
The production also fostered a lifetime friendship with Highlander Collin Wilcox Paxton, who electrified audiences with her portrayal of Mayella Violet Ewell.
“We were close and kept in contact over the years, over the decades,” Ms. Badham says.
The screening of To Kill A Mockingbird and the presentation by Ms. Badham is just one of the events on the Highlands Cashiers Film Festival’s near-to-bursting schedule.
“Join us for four unforgettable days, including competition film screenings, workshops, emerging filmmakers, and panels with acclaimed industry presenters and award-winning professionals,” says Alison Knapp, who with Darren Whatley is pulling together this massive endeavor. “We will showcase all genres, including features, documentaries, shorts, and international films.”
Gregory Peck and Collin Wilcox Paxton in To Kill a Mockingbird
If you’re as big a film buff as I am, you’re going to be astonished at the richness of the lineup – screenings of classics like 1938’s The Adventures of Robin Hood, restored to its brilliant widescreen Technicolor glory; and the Gregory Peck-Audrey Hepburn romantic comedy Roman Holiday, introduced by Catherine Wyler, the daughter of its director/producer William Wyler; and new masterpieces like the darkly humorous Ghostworld, introduced by star Illeanna Douglas, unforgettable as Roberta Allsworth – balanced by Master of Ceremonies and online Film Freak Central critic Walter Chaw; Robert Hoffman on the world of Technicolor; Plateau-resident and Oscar-winner Wesley Wofford on Hair and Makeup; Steven Poster, the cinematographer of the unforgettable Donnie Darko; and Art Director Bill Brzeski on his work on Matilda and Stuart Little 2.
In a lovely bit of Plateau synergy, Brzeski’s presentation will be preceded by a series of songs performed by the young actors of last month’s Highlands Youth Theater’s Matilda.)
Tickets for the festival and the parties and special events staged around it are on sale right now – highlandscashiersfilmfestival.com.
Pictured | Mary Badham and Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird
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