Ron Tibbett(1941-2004)
- Producer
- Director
- Actor
Poet, journalist, filmmaker, Ron Tibbett was most well known for
founding Mississippi's first film festival, the Magnolia. His first
film, the rarely seen "Toni, Randi, and Marie" won best cinematography
at the Toronto Film Festival in 1977. Tibbett wouldn't direct another
film until the early '90s when he and his wife, Dr. Charlotte Magnussen
moved to West Point, Mississippi. The film was "Swept Off My Feet" and
while looking for festivals to submit it to, Tibbett found that there
were none in Mississppi. He started his own and since the Mag premiered
in 1997, three more film festivals have started in Mississppi. One film
submission to the Mag impressed Tibbett so much that he and the
director, Bill Brown set off to make a film together. That film was
"Buffalo Common." Directed by Brown and produced by Tibbett, "Buffalo
Common" is a subconscious road trip through the forgotten missile silos
of North Dakota. The film was an official selection of the 2003
Sundance Film Festival and made the Village Voice's Top Ten Avant Garde
list. Tibbett has been responsible for starting the career's of
Mississippi's youngest and most promising filmmakers. He commissioned
Alex B.D. Barton to make a film for the first Mag in 1997. This film
was a stop-motion gore fest entitled "Planet X." Since then, Barton has
won several awards for his animated films ranging from political
cartoons to special effects in music videos. Tibbett met noise musician
and filmmaker Shane Ballard on the set of "Cookie Jar," directed by
another pupil of his, J. Alec Hawkins. Ballard's unique life style and
interest in pop culture obscurities inspired Tibbett to direct his
final film, "Citizen Shane." The documentary follows Ballard on a
hilarious and touching campaign for sheriff of Lowndes County. The film
has slowly become an underground success and most people think the film
must be fictional due to Ballard's larger than life persona (not to
mention his house was practically a museum of 20th century madness).
Sadly, Ron Tibbett lost his life in a car accident not far from home.
He left a legacy that went beyond just his films, but the entire film
community. A tribute was held in his honor on March 7th, 2005 in New
York City.