Jeff Nichols | Arkansan Storyteller

Of the community of current filmmakers, there are none that can express the feeling of rural Arkansas better than acclaimed director, Jeff Nichols. You may know Jeff for his Southern Arkansas classic, Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon among others. Or maybe you saw The Bikeriders with Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, and Jodie Comer. His most recent film currently in production, King Snake, is set back in his roots of Central Arkansas.

Jeff’s films are personal and ring with an authenticity for its characters and environments. Because of his love for his Arkansas upbringing, the stories set in The Natural State create a character of the landscape itself. The soil, water, and atmosphere breathe life into its relationships with the human characters in the script and on the screen.

We got to spend some time with Jeff in his home office in Austin, TX. He’s a storyteller through and through, and we were happy to get his thoughts about his family’s stomping grounds of Southeast Arkansas and how that shaped his outlook on life and the stories that come to the screen.

A 30×40 print of “Wabbaseka Drive By” hangs proudly in Jeff’s home office.