Soul Man

Ben Whitaker, Jr., an aging and mostly washed up singer-songwriter from the 60s/70s era of big soul music, navigates loneliness, failed relationships, and a botched career in modern day Memphis, TN.

*WINNER - Best Hometowner Narrative Short - Indie Memphis Film Festival 2019

*RUNNER-UP - Hammer to Nail Short Film Contest - Fall 2019

  • Kyle Taubken
    Director
    Patrick, The Butcher, The Neighborhood
  • Kyle Taubken
    Writer
    Patrick, The Butcher, The Neighborhood
  • Andrew Trent Fleming
    Director Of Photography
    Travelling Soldier, Muddy Water
  • Kyle Taubken
    Producer
    Patrick, The Butcher, The Neighborhood
  • Curtis C. Jackson
    Key Cast
    "Ben Whitaker, Jr."
    Patrick, We Go On, The X-Files, Shameless
  • Pat Prentiss
    Key Cast
    "Stan"
    Wayward Son, The Last Earth Girl, Signing Day
  • Willis Green
    Key Cast
    "Ronnie"
  • Wyndie Oliver
    Key Cast
    "Carla"
  • Kenon Walker
    Key Cast
    "Young Ben"
    The Stix, 100 Lives
  • Everett Anderson
    Key Cast
    "Young Miles"
    The Stix, Hongo, The Preacher
  • Jon Bryant Crawford
    Key Cast
    "Smoker In Alley"
  • Curtis C. Jackson
    Associate Producer
  • Noah Glenn
    Boom Operator/Location Sound Mixer
    Electromatic
  • David Moates
    Boom Operator/Location Sound Mixer
    Patrick, The Butcher
  • Peyton Pilgrim
    Assitant Camera
  • O'Shay Foreman
    Assitant Camera
  • Justin Harrison
    Grip
    Patrick
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 2K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Montana International Film Festival
    Billings, MT
    United States
    September 17, 2020
    Montana Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Oxford Film Festival
    Oxford, MS
    United States
    March 20, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Indie Memphis Film Festival
    Memphis, TN
    United States
    November 1, 2019
    WINNER - Best Hometowner Narrative Short
  • Hammer to Nail Short Film Contest - Fall 2019
    Online Contest
    United States
    Runner-up
  • Portland Film Festival
    Portland, OR
    United States
    October 16, 2019
    West Coast Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Bushwick Film Festival
    Brooklyn, NY
    United States
    October 6, 2019
    New York Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Nashville Film Festival
    Nashville, TN
    United States
    October 5, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Tallahassee Film Festival
    Tallahassee, FL
    United States
    Florida Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Macon Film Festival
    Macon, GA
    United States
    August 16, 2019
    Georgia Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Knoxville Film Festival
    Knoxville, TN
    United States
    September 14, 2019
    Official Selection
  • South Georgia Film Festival
    Valdosta, GA
    United States
    March 7, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Lake County Film Festival
    Grayslake, IL
    United States
    September 6, 2019
    Illinois Premiere
    Official Selection
  • WLOK Black Film Festival
    Memphis, TN
    United States
    August 31, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Memphis Film Prize
    Memphis, TN
    United States
    August 2, 2019
    World Premiere
    Top Ten Finalist
  • Grenada Afterglow Film Festival
    Grenada, MS
    United States
    October 12, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Desoto Film Festival
    Southaven, MS
    United States
    October 5, 2019
    Mississippi Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Kyle Taubken

Kyle Taubken is a filmmaker from Memphis, TN who has made a number of award-winning short films that have played at festivals including Indie Memphis, Portland Film Festival, Bushwick Film Festival, and Nashville Film Festival, among others. His latest short film, Soul Man, was the runner-up in the Fall 2019 Hammer to Nail Short Film Contest and won Best Hometowner Narrative Short at the 2019 Indie Memphis Film Festival. Kyle is currently developing his first feature.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

SOUL MAN is a story inspired by the many men and women who were part of the soul music boom in Memphis during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Many of these artists, often underappreciated legends, have long since returned to normal, practically anonymous lives here in Memphis. You might find them playing as a backup musician on Beale Street one night and working the register at the local grocery store the next. I have met and spent time with a handful of these incredible folks and am always touched by their grit, humility, and warmth. This short is a fictionalized attempt to represent many of their stories as they exist today. In the film, the main character, Ben, has spent decades shutting the music out of his life after the demise of his once successful singing/songwriting partnership. Dogged by memories of the glory days and the unprocessed trauma of the fallout with his childhood best friend and former partner, Ben wants nothing to do with his legendary past. Try as he might, however, Ben can’t quite get away from the music or the memories, and he’ll have to face them both sooner or later. Among other things, this is a film about the loss of friendship, the consequences of selfishness and impulsivity, and the resiliency of the human soul. This short is a prologue, of sorts, to the feature I am currently developing around this same character. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it moves you in some way. - Kyle T.