April 1, 2008
Colquitt-- Lena Baker may not be a name you've heard before, but she holds a place in Georgia history. She was the only woman ever sent to the electric chair in Georgia. She was executed in 1945.
Ralph Wilcox, who wrote directed and produced the film, says its a sad story but one that needed to be told. "It's a story about this woman's life who happened to be born as they say between a rock and a hard place," says Wilcox.
Based on the book, The Lena Baker Story by Dr. Lela Bond Phillips, the true story now unfolds on the big screen with Hollywood actors like Tichina Arnold from sitcoms like "Martin" and "Everybody Hates Chris."
"Apparently it's gone so well that the Atlanta film festival has selected it to be their opening premier night," Wilcox explains. Being chosen for the honor is not only a sign of the huge success for this small, upstart studio in Colquitt, but for the communities it was filmed in as well. "Whatever a budget is on a film, a third, a half of it gets left in that community, and we shot in Miller county, Early county, Baker county," says Wilcox.
He says around $400,000 was pumped into the local economy because of the project, and he hopes its just the first of many. "I'm very excited to say we have about 4 or 5 other projects on slate as well. And I'm anticipating going into production toward the end of this year on our second feature film," says Wilcox.
Wilcox hopes for a wide release of the Lena Baker Story later this year. To see the trailer for The Lena Baker Story and to find out more about the movie, visit the movie's website.
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