A new William Faulkner documentary will chronicle the life and legacy of the Nobel Prize winner out of Mississippi.
Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead will take viewers through the complexity of Faulkner’s works – which include The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, and Absalom, Absalom! – as well as delve into the author’s often contradictory views on race.
“I wasn’t sure if I or other modern audiences could relate to Faulkner,” the film’s writer-director Michael Modak-Truran said. “There were things he said that I didn’t like and still struggle to completely understand. But during my research into Faulkner’s life and work, I understood how critical Faulkner is to our current moment. All while crafting unforgettable characters and stories, Faulkner’s literature embraces the complexity of race relations in America, which echoes eerily today.”
The Past Is Never Dead, narrated by and starring Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Eric Roberts as Faulkner, is the first feature-length documentary to examine the storyteller’s life. It will premiere in Faulkner’s hometown of Oxford at the upcoming Oxford Film Festival on March 3.
“The documentary team and I think it is incredibly special and poetic that the first audience to see ‘The Past Is Never Dead’ on a large screen will be in the place where Faulkner lived and found inspiration,” Modak-Truran continued.
For more screening dates, times, and locations as they are released, visit williamfaulknerfilm.com.
