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Free State of Jones
Free State of Jones “An epic action drama set during and in
  the aftermath of the American Civil War,
  from 1862 to 1876, that tells the true
  and remarkable story of a Southern
  farmer who led a band of fellow farmers
  and local slaves in an uprising that saw
  Jones County, Mississippi, secede from
  the Confederacy to become the Free
  State of Jones...”

ONE MAN HOLDS STRONG FOR HIS BELIEFS against all the odds in the epic action drama Free State of Jones, persuading local farmers and slaves to stand alongside him, effectively breaking away from the injustices carried out by factions of the Confederacy and beginning a rebellion against the rebels.

Southern Farmer Newt Knight (Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey: Interstellar; Dallas Buyers Club) is facing the true reality of war as, while fighting for the South, he is surrounded by dead and dying men with dreadful wounds from which many will never recover. Rivers of blood flow from the makeshift hospital.

“Tragic, poignant and
ultimately satisfying,
the glorious action movie
Free State of Jones
is a fantastic reflection of
the American Civil War,
with its aftermath of
a backlash against the
freed slaves, and a
tribute to the farmer and
former soldier who stood
up and fought for
his beliefs...”
As men lose their limbs, their kin, their friends, their fellow soldiers and the will to fight on, Newt begins to question the reason for the war. True it is political. But why are wealthy men who own many slaves being exempted from the war while men who own no slaves fight for the right to keep them? Because the rich believe they should maintain their right to continue their privileged way of life.

Newt Knight was not fighting for cotton; he was fighting for honour. When his young kinsman dies in his arms during a particularly terrible battle, he has had enough; it isn't his war and he is determined to take the boy home to his mother in Jones County, Mississippi, for burial. He has no intention of going back and he is in danger. He is a deserter.

Once there, he sees the bad side of the conflict in this historical war epic. Soldiers stealing food and provisions, farm animals and fabric snatched from the people to feed and clothe the fighting men but leaving women whose menfolk have gone to war to fend for themselves.

He meets a wise creole woman, Rachel (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who saves the life a baby boy who is burning up with fever; little realising she is going to become an important figure in his life.

The scene switches to a court case 85 years later, when a white woman wants to marry a man who is deemed to be an Octoroon: one eighth black and therefore, in the South, still at that time considered to be black. He bears his father's name but his mother is in doubt. This is part of Newt's true life and it is slipped seamlessly into the plot.

Back in the 19th Century, Newt acknowledges Serena (Keri Russell) the mother of his child. He leaves her as he disappears into the swamp with runaway slaves where he befriends Moses (Mahershama Ali) and begins his dream of The Free State of Jones.

Newt forms an ever-increasing army of men: small farmers and former slaves who help him in his quest — to put together an extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy. But once the war is over, he will have a score to settle…

A magnificent movie reflecting the reality of one of the bloodiest wars in history, the American Civil War, Free State of Jones is based on the incredible true story of one man's fight against injustice; a man who defied the Confederate army and who found peace where he least expected to find it.

Tragic, poignant and ultimately satisfying, the glorious action movie Free State of Jones is a fantastic reflection of the American Civil War, with its aftermath of a backlash against the freed slaves, and a tribute to the farmer and former soldier who stood up and fought for his beliefs.

Free State of Jones also features: Christopher Berry as Jasper Collins; Sean Bridges as Will; Jacob Lofland as Daniel; and Thomas Francis Murphy as Elias Hood.

Music is by Nicholas Britell; Director of Photography is Benoît Delhomme; Screenplay by four-time Oscar-nominee Gary Ross (The Hunger Games; Seabiscuit; Pleasantville); Story by Leonard Hartman and Gary Ross; Directed by Gary Ross.

* The historical war epic Free State of Jones from STUDIOCANAL is released on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK on 20 February 2017. Also available on EST on 13 February 2017 and VOD 20 February 2017. Certificate: 15 | Running Time: 140 Minutes Approximately | Catalogue Number: OPTD2925 (DVD) / OPTBD2925 (Blu-ray) | RRP: DVD £19.99 / Blu-ray: £24.99. Extras: (DVD & Blu-ray) — The History of Jones County.

"Tragic, poignant and ultimately satisfying, the glorious action movie Free State of Jones is a fantastic reflection of the American Civil War… and a tribute the farmer and former soldier who stood up and fought for his beliefs" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar

**** Peter Bradshaw — The Guardian

"Matthew McConaughey is sensational" — HeyUGuys
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