MERCER MUSEUM HISTORY COMES TO LIFE IN EPIC MOVIE TO BE FILMED IN BUCKS COUNTY
Historical Artifacts in Museum speak of One Slave’s Journey
Right here in our local community of Buckingham, over 150 years ago, our community banded together across racial and religious lines to save lives, secure freedom, build lasting relationships and change the course of history. The Mercer Museum houses artifacts from that historical event.
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Local filmmaker, Thomas Phillips and Hollywood’s Clifton Powell were presented with the shoe belonging to local freed slave, “Big Ben” Jones. The shoe is a huge size 12, figuratively bringing us the idea that we have big (ben’s) shoes to fill.
Big Ben is just one of the characters in the upcoming movie “The North Star”, a dramatic depiction of the perilous journey to freedom made by two escaped slaves. The movie is set in 1850 during the time of the Underground Railroad. It is the story of passionate men and women, black and white, risking their lives to save those fleeing the horrific fate of forced servitude. Based on true life characters, including “Big Ben” the epic North Star is destined to become an American Classic.
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“I felt compelled to bring these stories to light”, notes Phillips, “All this local history, right here under our noses, and even lifelong residents and families here for generations don’t learn of these stories.”
The filming for the movie has begun and will take place this summer entirely in Bucks County. Melissa Thompson from the Mercer Museum presented Big Ben’s shoe to the movie’s producers. The Mercer Museum is excited that historical artifacts in their museum will bring Bucks County history to life on the big screen.
The movie includes talent such as Actor/Producer, Clifton Powell (Ray, Norbert, Rush Hour, Friday After Next), Lynn Whitfield (HBO’s Josephine Baker Story), Michael Jai White(Spawn, Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?), Michael Rappaport(Hitch, The 6th Day)and Keith David(Platoon, Crash, The Thing, ATL). Expected national release date late 2012/early 2013.
The North Star is produced, written and directed by Thomas Phillips, in conjunction with Luck Pig Studios and Jersey Style Films, including Clifton Powell, Executive Producer Dave DeLellis and the Producing team of Jesse James Jackson, Jr. and Nathan File of Jersey Style Films Inc.
Featured in Photo (L to R):
Jesse James Jackson Jr, Dave DeLellis, Thomas Phillips, Melissa Thompson, Clifton Powell, Tracey DeLellis, Tim O’Connell
