Meet the Minds Behind the Horton Foote Project

Horton Project originator Dixon McDowell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Covenant College in 1978 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Cinematography at Southern Illinois University in 1986. He worked briefly as freelance writer and filmmaker before joining the faculty at Aurora University where taught media production and ran Aurora Public Access Television  He was recruited to the Radio Television and Film Department of at the University of Southern Mississippi in 1989.  There he taught cinematography, film editing and screenwriting. He was granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor in 1994. In 1996 he was named Chair of Radio Television and Film and served until 2001 when the department was merged with the Department of Journalism to form The School of Mass Communication and Journalism. He continued teaching and was promoted to full professor in 2004. In 2006 he guided the relocation of the film program from the Hattiesburg campus to the USM campus in Long Beach on the Mississippi gulf coast where it has become a key part of that campus. Professor retired in 2015 after thirty years of teaching and administration.

Throughout his academic career Mr. McDowell maintained an active creative and research life. He wrote several original screenplays including “In Morning Calm,” which won the MGM/UA Screenplay Competition. Another of his screenplays, “Top Banana” was optioned but never produced. He produced a number of film projects including “Living with Disabilities,” a six-part documentary series for the Mississippi Developmental Disabilities Council. Mr. McDowell was also instrumental in the formation of the Mississippi Film and Video Alliance, a 501c3 nonprofit organization which facilitates indigenous filmmaking within the state.

Much of Professor McDowell’s research effort was devoted to the study of the work of Horton Foote. Mr. McDowell wrote and presented numerous academic papers about Foote’s remarkable body of dramatic writing at conferences throughout the United States. He also authored a chapter in Horton Foote: A Case Book which was published in 1998.  The impetus of this research and study was Professor McDowell’s desire to produce a documentary film about Foote.

Contact Dixon at dixon.mcdowell@me.com
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Filmmaker Philip Scarborough, owner of Scarborough Film, Inc. is an award-winning film producer, director, and editor operating from his native Jackson, Mississippi. His profound engagement with cinematic language commenced at the early age of eleven, a passion that has continuously driven his three-decade career. A perpetual student of global cinema, Philip is continuously exploring new cinematic techniques and honing his craft. His extensive capabilities are showcased through his showreel and portfolio.

After completing film school at USM School of Film in the mid-1990s , where he was a cinematography, editing, and screenwriting student of Dixon McDowell, Philip quickly immersed himself in the commercial and documentary film industry. He has produced a diverse range of commercials and videos for prominent clients and collaborated with numerous ad agencies throughout the Southern United States. His deep roots in Mississippi are evident through his professional and personal affiliations, including his foundational role as a co-founder and technical director of the Crossroads Film Festival and Society, serving from 2001 through 2021, and sometimes as its president, an initiative established in Jackson in 2000 to promote filmmaking within Mississippi.

Beyond his commercial work, Philip has written and directed dozens of short films that have garnered hundreds of awards and been shown in film festivals all over the world, including the New York film festivals, Sundance, and South by Southwest, with some of his films winning awards at Academy Accredited film festivals. He has also undertaken significant documentary projects that position him as a social commentator, such as “Growing Our Own,” which chronicles a Summer Youth Institute where young Mississippians journey through civil rights history and features an interview with Myrlie Evers-Williams. Another notable work is his film “Dear Johnny Reb: An Argument for the Removal of Confederate Memorials,” which directly challenges the “lost cause” mythology prevalent in the Southern United States.

Contact Philip at philscarborough@me.com
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