Actor Maurice Johnson kicks off National HBCU Film Tour at Albany State University

ALBANY — Actor, producer and ASU alumnus Maurice Johnson “returned home” to Albany State University to screen his independent film “Jones Plantation” Wednesday night.

About 60 Students, faculty and Albany community members gathered at ASU’s Billy C. Black Auditorium Wednesday night to watch the film, which is currently the No. 2 independent film in the country. Attendees also participated in a question-and-answer session with the actor afterward.

Johnson is originally from Augusta and attended ASU on a football scholarship. He said the HBCU was the first place he grew to love acting. He graduated with a speech and theater degree in 2001.

Johnson is known for roles in CBS’ “Hawaii Five-O” and “Good Girls”; NBC’s “Chicago Fire” and “Game of Silence”; ABC’s “Devious Maids,” “The Catch” and “Nashville”; and has also acted in Tyler Perry’s “For Better or Worse” and TV One’s “Born Again Virgin.”

Johnson said he wanted to kick off the national HBCU film tour for “Jones Plantation” at his alma mater so that the university would be the backdrop. Right now, he has 12 planned visits to colleges but says he hopes to grow that to 30. As he stood on the Billy C. Black stage, he said he was happy to be home.

“This was the first stage I ever did a … play on,” Johnson said. “I wanted to bring it back home … back down to ASU.”

The film, Johnson told the audience, would not be what they expected.

“It’s going to make you question everything around you,” he said. “It’s going to make you question yourself.”

The message in the film is “you can control a man with brute violence but you can never truly own a man until he’s convinced that your word is law, and obedience is a virtue,” according to the film site. IMDB, an online database with movie information and ratings, claims the film is destined to be a cult classic — the “vanguard film of the American Dissident Cinema movement.”

“Jones Plantation” follows the main character, Mr. Smith, played by Johnson, as he is hired by slave plantation owner Mr. Jones to regain control over the enslaved people on his land. Smith is a black man working with white plantation owners to manipulate enslaved people into submission by giving them the false belief that they are being treated equally.

He develops a currency system that keeps the people in debt. He creates a flag, a pledge of allegiance and even holds false elections. All while telling the enslaved people they are free to leave but that it would be dangerous to do so.

The film slowly descends into chaos as one man realizes the lies and manipulation being fed to the enslaved people. It displays people being faced with comfortable lies and the uncomfortable truth and what they choose to believe and how they choose to react.

“Jones Plantation” displays themes of race and systemic oppression. A slave plantation was the backdrop of the film, but the setting is present day America, Johnson said. It’s an allegory, he said, that pushes boundaries in the film industry by breaking the fourth wall, having a black lead and reflecting on political issues in present day America.

There are many movies on slavery, but they are hardly ever done by someone who looks like us, Johnson said to the audience. As the lead, he had creative control while working with white executive producers and writers to get the message across “effortlessly.”

The film was shot during the COVID-19 pandemic and was able to be released even during the weekslong actors strike due to its independent nature.

One goal is for “Jones Plantation” to eventually be made into a series so that more of the story and subplots can be developed, Johnson said.

“I want people to wake up and notice what’s going on around you,” he said. “How much control do you have over your life? That’s what I want you to ask.”

Johnson said he’s bringing the film to HBCUs because of “its timeliness in the society and political climate that we are living in and experiencing daily.” The plan is to begin a dialogue across campus communities about the world and why young, black students must be agents of change.

Johnson also hosted a Film and Entertainment Master Class for the ASU theater program Thursday. He offered advice on getting into the industry to inquiring students during the question-and-answer session as well.

Atlanta’s, prominence in the film industry is continuously growing. More opportunities are arising for college students to get involved in the film industry at in-state schools, including ASU. Johnson said he wants to bridge the gap between industry opportunities and ASU students.

There are many ways to make money in the film industry even outside of just acting, Johnson said. He wants to make students aware of these opportunities.

“I want to be able to feed our kids directly into Atlanta,” he said.

Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan[email protected]