The Heal the Hood Foundation of Memphis will be hosting “The Mix Up Red Carpet Movie Premiere” at the Malco Majestic Movie Theater Thursday, Sept. 11.
“The Mix Up,” written by LaDell Beamon and directed by Vincent Price, is a movie that focuses on date rape at college campuses and the problems it causes mentally, physically and socially.
“We just want to make sure that these college students, especially women, understand the dangers of date rape,” Beamon said.
HTH is a nonprofit organization that focuses on providing children and young adults activities like singing, dancing, modeling and art. Through these activities, HTH attempts to make a positive impact on these kids in hopes to steer the children away from drugs, alcohol and any other things of that nature.
According to their website www.hthmemphis.org, the organization’s mission “is to implement and find creative methods to provide educational, cultural, and social economic and community change in the city of Memphis and surrounding areas that are heavily populated by youth crime, violence and other social deviant patterns of behaviors through multi-media science.”
Beamon says he and Price came up with the idea for the film after Obama’s push throughout 2014 for colleges and universities to prevent and monitor sexual assaults on campus.
According to the movie premiere’s press release, “The Mix Up,” which was shot in Memphis and on location at Christian Brothers University, is a movie that centers on the role of Sophia Morgan, a female student in college that just wants to be accepted. In college, she experiences a complete culture shock by attempting to fit in with her peers. While at a party with some friends, Mike, the popular guy on campus, rapes Sophia. Sophia’s uncle Rick Morgan, who adopted Sophia after her mother’s death, goes out to find Mike and get revenge for his niece after learning what happened.
“While we are focusing on teaching future victims about the risks of date rape, we are also hoping to show assaulters that what they do to these poor victims causes pain mentally, physically and emotionally, and the damage it causes to the victim’s friends and family,” Beamon said.
In a national survey by the Journal of American College Health, surveys showed that one in five women will be sexually assaulted during the college careers and most victims – 90 percent actually – never report the attack to police with alcohol-related assault being the most common type of sexual assault.
“The Mix Up” hits on social issues that occur on university campuses not only around the country but also internationally. The film teaches its audience about alcohol abuse and peer pressure while also illustrating the laws of safe dating on campus. The film will be shown on college campuses and marketed to BET for a College Spring Break Special for 2015.
The red carpet interviews will start at 5:50 p.m. at the Malco Majestic Movie Theater on 7051 Malco Crossing. The screening will follow after the interviews at 6:30 p.m. Ticket cost for the premiere is $10.00 in advance.
For more information on “The Mix Up” premiere or the Heal the Hood Foundation, visit www.hthmemphis.org.
