Recently we talked with the talented filmmaker Thomas Southerland about his 2016 Indie Grits selected film, Lamp: A Ghost Story.

1. What is your connection to the South?

Born and raised a Kentuckian. I now live, work and make films in Lexington, Kentucky.

2. What was your muse for this film?

My father was my muse for “Lamp – a ghost story”. He’s always been a great storyteller and a little bit weird, which is perfect for film.

3. What was your first film?

A 16mm short called “The Sunny Side”, which thankfully almost no one saw, cause it’s bad.

4. Did anything interesting or funny happen on set during the shooting?

“Lamp” is an oddly personal film for me as it stars my dad, nephews, sister and step-mother. None of them had been in front of a camera before and they assumed I was only making a “home” movie, so they’re happily surprised that anyone outside the family would want to see it.

5. If you’ve been to Indie Grits before, what’s your favorite memory?

I was at Indie Grits in 2010 and loved the experience, especially meeting other filmmakers like fellow Kentuckian Martha Stephens. Indie Grits always has a very laid-back, non-competitive feeling amongst the filmmakers, which fits it’s southern roots perfectly.