Matthew Cullifer

Dixieland Matthew Cullifer

Gene Turner casts a long shadow. One son finds comfort there--the other does not. Together, the three of them operate Dixieland Championship Wrestling at the local farm center in rural Gavin, Georgia, where very Friday night folks come from miles around to eagerly drop their paychecks on rasslin', popcorn, and cold beer. But business isn't as good as it seems. The family is fractured and without a television deal, Dixieland is in trouble. There are threats from the outside as well. Rival promoter, Jim Burke, has a stranglehold on south Georgia, and the Turners have crossed a line. Now, not only is Dixieland in trouble, so are their lives. This is unseen by 11 year old fan, Garrett. His world revolves around his friends, television, and rasslin'. But in the fall of 1985, the worlds of the Turners, Jim Burke, and Garrett collide in Dixieland. Dixieland is a big-hearted southern gothic thriller. It's also the story of fathers and sons and the stark differences between surviving and living.