A poster for the film Ozark Odyssey, showing an illustration of the strip at Lake of the Ozarks, with water and bluffs in the background

Ozark Odyssey

dir. Aiyana Massie

2026
Running time: 19 min.

Trailer

Every summer, an estimated two million tourists voyage to Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, enjoying vacations filled with debauchery. The seasons change, tourists return home, and the locals resume their daily lives in a town in rural Missouri. Ozark Odyssey explores the lasting effects of a town shaped by seasonal extremes and cultural dissonance. What does it mean to live in a place so dependent on fantasies far removed from its everyday reality? How do residents build a sense of community in a town that is constantly shifting around them?

Aiyana Massie

Saylor Campbell received her undergraduate degree in documentary journalism from the University of Missouri. Her education and experience working for companies like Motto Pictures has inspired her to pursue a career in directing and film producing, and she is passionate about stories that follow people of color and social justice issues, seeing visual storytelling and the arts as tools that can be used to bring rich narratives about communities to life. When she is not working, she can probably be found writing or spending time with her family in Houston.