By The People’s Paper MS
HAZLEHURST, Miss. — A new independent feature film is preparing to bring cameras, cast and crew to Hazlehurst this fall, but for Renjah Brimage, Mississippi Echoes is about much more than making a movie.
It is about telling a Mississippi story in Mississippi, giving young people a reason to see possibilities beyond the circumstances around them and inviting the community to become part of the story.
Produced by Hustle Harder Entertainment, Mississippi Echoes is a 90-minute drama centered on youth empowerment, mentorship, resilience and the choices young people make when they are given an opportunity to see a different future.
The writer Renjah Brimage said the inspiration came from watching young people across Hinds and Copiah counties navigate challenges that can sometimes cause their potential to be overlooked.
“Growing up in Mississippi, you see firsthand that our youth are constantly being talked about, but rarely talked to or listened to,” Brimage said.
The film, she said, was shaped by real conversations with local teens and by seeing how one mentor can change the trajectory of a young person’s life.
Brimage said she wanted to tell a story in which young people are not simply defined by their environment, but actively choose to build something different.
Bringing the story home
For Brimage, bringing Mississippi Echoes to Hazlehurst is an emotional, full-circle moment.
Hustle Harder Entertainment was founded to amplify authentic Southern voices, she said, and there was no better setting for this story than a Mississippi community with its own history, character and visual identity.
Hazlehurst was selected as the primary backdrop because its personality cannot simply be recreated on a Hollywood soundstage.
Planned filming locations include Pey School, the Copiah-Jefferson Library, the Hazlehurst Softball Complex and the Riverfront.
“When we film at places like Pey School, the Copiah-Jefferson Library, or the Hazlehurst Softball Complex, we are honoring the spaces where local life actually happens,” Brimage said.
She described the film as a love letter to the resilience of Mississippi communities.
“We aren’t just here to shoot a movie and leave; we are partnering with the people of Copiah County to show that you can always choose to turn the page and write a brand-new ending,” Brimage said.
Hazlehurst becomes part of the story
Local culture will be woven throughout the film through its locations, music, dialogue and people.
Brimage said the Musician Museum is an important location because of Mississippi’s connection to American music.
But culture, she said, will extend far beyond the soundtrack.
The dialogue is intended to be raw, honest and distinctly Mississippian, while community togetherness will become one of the film’s most important elements.
A large neighborhood gathering and block party sequence is planned, giving local residents an opportunity to appear in the film as background extras.
“The background echoes of Hazlehurst — the sights, the sounds, the families — won’t just be wallpaper; they are a living, breathing character in this drama,” Brimage said.
Why the locations matter
The choice of filming locations is intentional.
Brimage said Pey School and the Copiah-Jefferson Library represent important pillars in the development of young people: education, knowledge and community history.
The locations also provide something a soundstage cannot.
“When audiences see our characters navigating these specific landmarks, they are seeing the actual fabric of the community,” Brimage said.
Rather than creating a fictionalized version of Mississippi, the production plans to use real places that residents know and recognize.
Residents invited to the block party
The planned block party is designed to look and feel like a genuine Hazlehurst community celebration.
Brimage said the production is looking for families, youth, teenagers and elders to participate as background extras.
Residents can expect music, energy and a chance to see what happens behind the scenes on a feature film set.
More importantly, they will become part of the visual history of Mississippi Echoes.
“It’s a chance to see behind the scenes of a movie set, work alongside our cast and crew, and permanently write themselves into the visual history of this film,” Brimage said.
Residents interested in participating are encouraged to follow the official Mississippi Echoes Facebook page for casting forms, location details and instructions.
They can also email mississippiechoes@gmail.com.
Community involvement starts before filming
Brimage said getting the community involved early is essential to telling an authentic story.
“Independent filmmaking is entirely about collaboration, and you cannot tell an authentic story about a community without involving the people who live there,” she said.
The production plans to work with local talent, regional businesses and community partners.
Brimage said early communication also helps ensure the film accurately reflects the people and places that inspired it.
“We aren’t outsiders just using the town as a pretty background; we want the community to feel a sense of ownership over Mississippi Echoes,” she said.
Opportunities beyond the camera
Residents will not have to appear on screen to participate.
Brimage said the production will also welcome local volunteers and students interested in learning what it takes to work behind the scenes.
Opportunities may include helping the crew, logistical preparation, food preparation and catering coordination, as well as hairstyling and wardrobe assistance.
The production is particularly interested in people who are passionate, reliable and eager to gain hands-on experience on a working film set.
Those interested can contact the production office at info.hustleharderent@gmail.com.
Five days to make a feature film
Principal photography is scheduled for Oct. 8 through Oct. 12, 2026.
That gives the production just five days to shoot a 90-minute drama.
Brimage said the compressed schedule makes preparation critical.
“Shooting a full-length feature drama in just five days requires military-grade precision,” she said.
The production will have to manage time carefully while moving cast, crew and equipment between multiple locations and making the most of available daylight.
The team is preparing through detailed pre-production planning and mandatory cast rehearsals.
Brimage said the production team is mapping out camera angles, lighting setups and scene blocking before filming begins.
The goal is to make sure everyone arrives on Oct. 8 ready to work.
A gritty, soulful Mississippi
While promotional stills are not yet available, Brimage said the production already has a clear visual identity in mind.
The goal is a combination of raw realism and cinematic warmth.
Brimage described the film as a “contemporary Southern drama with a heart.”
The camera will capture the genuine textures of Mississippi life, including historic downtown Hazlehurst, weathered brick facades, familiar streets and longtime structures.
The filmmakers are deliberately avoiding a manufactured Hollywood version of Mississippi.
Instead, Brimage said audiences should see a place that feels authentic, grounded and familiar.
What Brimage wants young people to see
For Brimage, one of the most important audiences for Mississippi Echoes is the young people who will see a professional film being made in their own community.
She hopes they recognize that filmmaking and other creative careers are not limited to major cities.
“Often, kids in rural towns or overlooked neighborhoods grow up believing that big things — like making movies — only happen in places like Los Angeles or New York,” Brimage said.
Bringing a professional production to Hazlehurst changes that equation simply by putting the work in front of them.
“I want them to know that their environment is worthy of the big screen,” she said.
Brimage also hopes young people will see filmmaking, storytelling and creative leadership as realistic career paths.
Most of all, she wants them to understand that they can tell their own stories.
“I hope it sparks an understanding that they don’t have to wait for someone else to give them a voice — they have the power to write their own narratives and build a legacy of peace right where they are,” Brimage said.
What happens after filming?
When principal photography wraps Oct. 12, the project will move into post-production.
Brimage said editing, sound engineering and color grading will take place through late 2026 and into early 2027 as the team prepares the film for its next stage.
The production is targeting a PG-13 rating and plans to pursue a festival run, with the Mississippi Magnolia Film Festival among the festivals the team hopes to target during the 2026-2027 festival cycle.
But Brimage said the film’s first major audience should be the people who helped bring it to life.
A special local premiere for the Copiah and Hinds County communities is planned.
“Before the world sees it, we absolutely plan to bring it right back to the people who built it,” Brimage said.
“The community is partnering with us to make this happen, so they deserve to be the very first to see their city and stories shine on the big screen.”
Turning the page together
Brimage said the production has already received strong support from Hazlehurst and Copiah County.
She expressed appreciation to local residents, businesses and community leaders who have helped the project move forward.
“It takes a village to make an independent film, and the early support we’ve received has been overwhelming,” Brimage said.
Local businesses interested in partnering with the production and residents interested in participating either on camera or behind the scenes can connect with the Mississippi Echoes Facebook page or contact info.hustleharderent@gmail.com.
“This is our story, told by us, and I can’t wait to turn the page on this journey together,” Brimage said.
For Hazlehurst, that journey will soon include cameras rolling, local faces on screen and a Mississippi story being told from the places and people that inspired it.
Read more at thepeoplespapersms.com.
