‘Sinners’ Finally Screened in the Mississippi Town In Which it Takes Place

You wouldn’t think of a horror movie would spread Black joy. But “Sinners” is not just any horror movie.

You’ve seen it. (And if you haven’t, what are you doing? Stop reading this and go straight to the movie theater.) The film takes place in Clarksdale, Mississippi, but people who call that city home were not even able to watch it. There are no movie theaters in Clarksdale, so anyone who wanted to watch it would have had to drive either to Southaven, MS or Memphis, TN—both over an hour away.

Black folks were up in arms about that fact and Tyler Yarbrough, a community organizer in Clarksdale, wrote an open letter asking for the film to be shown in his hometown. Ryan Coogler, the writer and director of the film, urged Warner Brothers to find a way to show his film in the city.

The studio outfitted the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium with a big screen and projector for the screenings. There was not an empty seat at the first screening and the subsequent showings are all ‘sold’ out. (The tickets are free, but they are first come first serve.)

People showed up the film wearing homemade Sinners T-shirts, and though they were silent during the film, you could see some dancing at various points during the movie. Ryan Coogler, Miles Caton (who plays Sammie) and Ludwig Göransson (the composer of the film) were in attendance that first day and participated in a Q&A after the screening with a crowd that was overjoyed to see Hollywood royalty in their small city.

Many in the audience asked insightful questions about how much Canton knew about Clarksdale before he took the role of Sammie and what inspired Coogler to write the film. But some in attendance were so busy cheering after almost every sentence that it was difficult for the filmmakers to answer. They didn’t mind. Coogler repeatedly thanked the crowd for their enthusiastic in his distinctly Oakland, California accent.

The screenings are just the beginning. In addition to showing the movie once a day through the weekend, there are no fewer than five blues concerts planned. Sinners is not only a Black artistic achievement, it is also the source of Black joy for the people of Clarksdale, Mississippi.