Event 1: Crossroads Film Festival
When: April 3-6
Where: Malco Grandview Cinema, 221 Grandview Blvd., Madison
Price: (for students) $6 per film block, $15 one-day pass, $49 all-access pass

            This year marks the 15 annual Crossroads Film Festival, a weekend of independent films, made in locales ranging from Mississippi to Spain. More than 100 films are featured, ranging from short conceptual films and documentaries to animation and full-length narrative movies. To help you pare this down, the weekend is divided into different blocks. Below are some of the blocks the P&W suggests, but click here for the full-listings and descriptions.

If you want to see social justice subjects:

• Life, Liberty, & Resilience Block—Saturday, April 5, 1:10 p.m.
  This block features many African-American stories, and is rather Mississippi-focused.  Films include short narrative Money 1955: The Emmett Till Murder Trial; They Called It Home, a local documentary tracing the history of Farish Street in downtown Jackson; and Life, Liberty & Resilience, the feature documentary.

• Beautiful Jim Block—Saturday April 5, 3:15 p.m.
  This block may be of special interest to Millsapians as it features Close, a short conceptual film by our very own Religious Studies/Philosophy professor, Dr. Steve Smith. In addition, LBGTQ issues and explorations are a major theme in this block, from the film Blackbird about a singer’s struggles with his sexuality in a small Southern Baptist community, to documentaries exploring life with HIV/AIDS, documentaries about same-sex marriage, etc. So, if you are interested in LBGTQ issues or want to explore the subject more as follow up to our many campus events on the subject, this block is for you.

• Political Dramas Block—Saturday, April 5, 2:50 p.m.
  Exactly as the title suggests, these films are for the political activists and the politically interested. Films include: Deserted, a short narrative about two women in the Israeli desert; Modou Modou, a short documentary about Africans living in Europe; Red Snow, a short narrative about moral issues of torture in Serbia in the 1940s; Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution, a documentary about the Syrian revolution; and Cholera,  a short narrative crime thriller.

For comedy, animation and feel-good fare:

• Shorts 1: Dark Comedy & Satire Block—Friday, April 4, 7:20 p.m.
  Judging from the amount of cynicism and satire that Millsaps student espouse daily, this block may be for you.

• Shorts 3: Animation for Adults Block—Saturday April 5, 1:20 p.m.
  Animation is always visually fascinating and this block features a variety of subjects and styles, so it is sure to be an interesting one.

• Shorts 7: Feel-Good Fare Block—Sunday, April 6, 2:50 p.m.
  If you need some feel-good movies, especially after the dark or social justice stories, then this block is meant for you. Seven short films from all over, including Australia, India, Spain and England, will guarantee you warm and fuzzy feelings.

Event 2: St. Paul and the Broken Bones
When: Saturday, April 5, 8 p.m.
Where: Duling Hall, 622 Duling Ave.
Cost: $10

            St. Paul and the Broken Bones is your best bet for live music this week. The energetic soul and R&B band hails from Alabama, and thrives from their live performances; it is the type of band that even recorded its albums live to tape, with as little mixing as possible. Paul Janeway, described recently by NPR as “the fiery lead singer,” brings the energy of a Southern Pentecostal Revival (jumping on tables, dancing in the aisles, etc.) from his own religious and gospel upbringings. The blend of energy and soulful music promises a good all-ages show. See the video below for a taste of their live shows, and to be surprised by the voice that does not seem to match Janeway’s body. Band member Jesse Phillips in an interview with NPR summed the group thus: “Basically, they’re a bunch of kind of nerdy-looking white guys, and when this sort of earth-shaking soul roar comes out of [Janeway’s] mouth for the first time, you can always hear the air being sucked out of the room.”

Event 3: Spring Parties

Millsaps’ own Spring Parties, in which the entire fraternity row participates, is April 5, festivities commence at 10 a.m. While the Arts & Life Team will be helping you plan your outfits, food and playlists, here is the basic run down of what is happening and where.

Delta Delta Delta will be popping up as the Delta House of Pancakes, serving IHOP pancakes for $3 (price includes 3 pancakes, butter, syrup, and utensils). Located between Ezelle Hall and the Pi Kappa Alpha house. Serving from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon will be hosting a Woodstock themed party at their house.

Kappa Sigma will be stationed by the beach volleyball court.

Pi Kappa Alpha’s theme is Pike’s Peak, and they will be providing crawfish and lvie music by Norman Jive and the Fab Five.

Lambda Chi Alpha and Kappa Alpha will both be doing classic luau-themed parties.