The five-week production will utilize locations across Greenwood and the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford. This project marks a shift for the narrative from the page to the screen, focusing on the Magee family’s personal experience with grief and eventual restoration. The film features Matt Passmore, Gabriel Nagy, Emily Rose, and Hudson Macready, operating under the Mississippi Motion Picture Incentive Program.
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Film Adaptation of 'Dear William' Memoir Begins Shooting in Mississippi
Cameras roll on September 8 in Greenwood as production begins for the feature adaptation of David D. Magee’s memoir, Dear William. Directed by Andrew Hyatt, the film chronicles a family’s journey through the wreckage of addiction toward recovery, backed by an $800,000 grant from the state’s Opioid Settlement Fund.

Beyond its cinematic goals, the project serves as a cornerstone for a statewide prevention initiative. By integrating the film into broader community engagement efforts, the production aims to open dialogues regarding mental health and recovery. For Magee, who founded the William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing, the choice of location was non-negotiable. He noted that the story is deeply rooted in Mississippi’s culture of storytelling, and filming on-site ensures the setting remains as vital to the narrative as the characters themselves.
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