Mississippi Teacher Rolls Out Another Movie

Jimmy Lee, a one-man dynamo in Jackson, Mississippi, told an interviewer in 2008 that his stage play No Good Comes To Those Who Do Wrong was not based on personal experience. "I have a wild imagination," said Lee, dressed in white suit and blue kerchief for the "blue carpet" play premiere.

Tonight, at the Jackson Convention Complex, Lee is premiering a belated movie-version expansion of his first play. For the big screen, he's retitled it Karma: The Ultimate Payback.



As with all things J. Lee Productions, it will be tonight a celebration of local artists and efforts. Karma was filmed in and around Jackson over a period of three months, with critical support from a local furniture store, and greatly expands upon the sexual mores play from six years ago.

Making this particular film all the more unusual is that Lee also happens to be a full-time teacher. As the 32-year-old told local newspaper The Clarion-Ledger, he polished off the script for Karma during Christmas break:

Running a production company on a teacher's salary is not easy, he says. "A lot of times I am able to cut corners, because of the name that we've made for ourselves. It does get expensive, but we get donations and sponsors. But, it has been a struggle and there has been a lot of sacrifices on my part. I haven't been homeless, but I was close to it," Lee says.

Karma is definitely not for the classroom. The movie carries a Mature Content advisory and Lee told reporter Rachel James-Terry he is aiming to "push the envelope" with the film's taboo, battle-of-the-sexes topics.

[J. Lee Productions]