Wayne professor to premiere feature film 'The Cross' on Tuesday

WAYNE, Neb. -- On Tuesday, Wayne State College film professor Dr. Mike White’s movie, “The Cross,” will be premiering at the Majestic Theatre in Wayne. The movie took over two years of development and is finally hitting the big screen. 

The movie takes place in the 1920’s and is about a French-Canadian family that was tormented by the Ku Klux Klan in rural Iowa. But this wasn’t just any family, this was Dr. White’s. 

“In my family for a long time there was the talk about the cross all the time,” White said. “About when the cross was burned, this happened before the cross, this happened after the cross and it ended up being this seminal thing that happened in my mother’s family. I think sometimes when people think about the Ku Klux Klan, they think about the persecution of African-Americans but they weren’t the only people that were targeted. They targeted Irish immigrants, Italian immigrants, Catholics were a huge target throughout the central United States.”

At first White was hesitant about the film, but once it was completed, he was happy with his final product. 

“There were a few times where I was wondering if I was kind of picking at the bones of something that should maybe be left alone,” White said. “I think when you look at something this painful that has happened to a family, there's reasons that people don’t really talk about it. Now that I have done it, I am really really glad this is something I can bring to the public to make this part of history more accessible to people.”

With the subject being so intense, White said some scenes were harder to shoot than others. 

“It is very difficult to describe what it felt like when that cross burned,” White said. “When we sat there and we lit the cross and to see all these people dressed as Klansmen, it was a terrifying thing. Even for the crew, there was a real quiet kind of painful hush over all of it. I think watching that and to realize my family went through that was really tough.” 

The film was shot at many scattered areas of rural Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota. Over 115 people auditioned for roles. The production crew consisted of many students, staff and film-industry professionals.

“What I’d like people to take away from the film is that the power of family is immense,” White said. “Also I think to value one’s culture a lot and to value the cultures and beliefs of other people. It really is a film about intolerance and then also the strength of family. I think if we live in a little more tolerable world, I think films like this help us understand that.”

White wanted to honor his mother’s side of the family with the creation of this film, and show the power of family and rebuilding a culture. 

“I really appreciate all of the talented people that came to make this film,” White said. “There were people who drove hours every week to be involved in this film and the passion of the people who wanted to tell my family’s story was really touching.”

You can catch the premiere this Tuesday at the Majestic Theatre in Wayne, and stay tuned for more show times.