About Cinema on the Bayou
Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival is committed to advancing the understanding of Cajun and Creole cultures through film screenings, film panels and cultural exchanges among French Louisiana, the United States and the Francophone countries of the world. The festival is focused on presenting nationally and internationally acclaimed humanities themed documentaries and filmmakers with truly original voices. Cinema on the Bayou will also showcase new, cutting edge, fiction and non-fiction films from around the world in a relaxing environment, laced and embellished with Cajun culture's unique identity markers, exquisite cuisine and great music. We screen uncompromising, thought-provoking films that make us laugh and cry; engage in serious discussions about matters important to independent filmmakers; and have a lot of fun and good times with old friends and make important connections with new friends who share our commitment to quality film.
About Cinema on the Bayou
Pat Mire, Founder and Artistic Director. Pat, who is an award-winning filmmaker, see www.patmire.com for more information on Pat's impressive body of work, founded Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival in 2006. Pat remains the guiding force behind the film festival and also serves up some great Cajun fare at nightly festival after-parties.
Rebecca Hudsmith, Festival Director. Rebecca, who is an attorney by day, began volunteering with Cinema on the Bayou in 2007, and is now its director and jack-of-all trades. While tirelessly committed to the Festival, she can always use more volunteers!
The 7th Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival will be held Jan. 25-29, 2012.
For additional information and photos of the festival, visit our festival blog at www.cinemaonthebayou.blogspot.com , and our fan page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Cinema-On-The-Bayou-Film-Festival/223349489201?ref=ts.
PREVIOUS FESTIVALS AND AWARDS
The 6th Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival closed its five-day run of film screenings, panel discussions and social gatherings on Sunday, Jan. 30th at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. A large and lively crowd was treated to a panel discussion on Mardi Gras traditions with Barry Ancelet and Ray Brassieur, as well as a series of top-notch documentary films, including "Tootie's Last Suit," and a discussion with actor and humorist Harry Shearer in connection with the screening of his new film about Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans, "The Big Uneasy." Colorado based filmmaker Marca Hagenstand and New York based filmmaker Aaron Dunsay were on hand for the Louisiana premiere of their film "Coals to Newcastle - The New Mastersounds: From Leed to New Orleans," an incredibly well-crafted, music driven film which received the Festival's top "goujon caille" prize, the Screening Commiittee Award. "Where better to celebrate the depth and flavor of European funk music than in the world's epicenter of Cajun culture," said Ms. Hagenstad, who was honored to receive the award and looked forward "to coming back to Lafayette for goujon caille courtboullion."
Other awards included the Best Humanities-Themed Documentary, which was awarded to "Disfarmer: A Portrait of America," which made its Louisiana premiere on the opening night of the Festival at the AcA. According to Toronto-based filmmaker Dennis Mohr, the guest of honor at the opening night reception, "Cinema on the Bayou was one of the best festival experiences of my documentary filmmaking career. As a Canadian, not only did I enjoy the warm weather, but the warm Southern hospitality and friendship that make the festival a world class event. Congratulations to Pat Mire, Rebecca Hudsmith and all their friends for a wonderful festival experience!"
The Audience Favorite Award was given to Shreveporter William Joyce's animated narrative short, "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore." Art Director Adam Volker and Animation Director Jamil Laham attended the screening of the film on Friday, Jan. 28th at LITE before a capacity crowd.
"Each year the Festival gets bigger and better, said Artistic Director Pat Mire. "The films and the filmmakers the Festival brings to this community add to its cultural richness and do much to promote the area as film and filmmaker friendly. We look forward to an even bigger Festival next January, with all of our venue partners, as well as new venues."
The Festival is funded under a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional support is provided by the Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission, as well as the Festival's venue partners, including the Acadiana Center for the Arts, LITE, Cite des Arts, Pack and Paddle and the Lafayette Public Library South Regional Branch.
The 5th Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival was exciting, stimulating, energetic, informative and just plain fun! Many thanks are due to our visiting filmmmakers from Montreal, Brooklyn, Houston, Corpus Christi, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette and all the wonderful films screened. We also want to thank all the participants in our panel discussions on Mardi Gras and Zydeco music, including Dr. Ray Brassieur, Herman Fuselier, Dr. Roger Wood, Morris and Lawrence Ardoin, and Sid Williams. We thank as well Dr. Barry Ancelet and Dr. John Laudun for their participation and commentary on the films and panel topics. And the Festival could not have been possible without the support of our community partners, individual sponsors and many volunteers. Congratulations to our "goujon caille" award winners: Best Humanities-Themed Documentary - "All Over But To Cry" by Jennifer John Block; Best Roots Culture Documentary - "Looking For Trouble" by David Brasseaux; Best Cinematography - "Mon Reve Familier" by Jimmy Ferguson; Audience Favorite - "Mardi Gras: Made In China" by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin.
The 4th Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival was a great success thanks to our enthusiastic filmgoers and the wonderful filmmakers in attendance from New York; Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri; Clarksdale, Mississippi; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington, New Orleans and Lafayette. We must also thank our incredible scholars, folklorists John Laudun and Carl Lindahl, who moderated the post-screening audience discussions of our roots culture films, both new and classic, and added so much to the richness of the Festival experience. Thanks also to our local treasures, guitarists and song-writers Gerry McGee and Sam Broussard, for their invaluable contributions to the Festival through their participation in the Music in Film panel discussion. We also thank Shadow Distribution, Duke University and the Dallas Art Museum for their support in getting quality films to Lafayette . We thank our visiting filmmakers, especially Sarah Knight and Deborah Cohen, for their participation in and contributions to the Fair Use Rights panel discussion. We congratulate David Redman and Ashley Sabin, whose film "Invisible Girlfriend" was named Best Humanities-Themed Documentary; Roger Stolle and Jeff Konkel, whose film "M for Mississippi" was named Best Roots Culture New Film; Deborah Cohen, whose film "Going, Going, Going," was named Best Roots Culture Classic Film; and Sarah Knight, whose film "Hot Flash" was named Audience Favorite.
FESTIVAL FUNDING AND SPONSORS
Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival receives support from The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Consulat General de France a La Nouvelle-Orleans, and the Quebec Government Delegation in Atlanta, Georgia.
Community partners include LITE, Pack and Paddle, Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, Lafayette Public Library System, Au Bayou Teche Bed and Breakfast,the Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, KRVS, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Folkstreams, the Southern Humanities Media Fund, and the National Film Board of Canada-ONF.
Festival sponsors include Zydeco Bars, Breaux's Mart, Carnivalesque Films, Shadow Distribution, Marcello's Wine Market., Johnson's Boucaniere and the Travel Lodge of Lafayette.
David Egan performs at closing party at Teche Theater in St. Martinville in 2008.
Film screenings at Pack and Paddle in 2008.
The 2007 festival's red carpet opening night screening of "Little Chenier" drew more than 700 in attendance, along with the film's director, screenwriter and several actors.
2007 Festival Film Scoring Panel: David Greely, Pat Mire, Dirk Powell and Sam Broussard.
Photos by Cinema on the Bayou 2006 official photographer Robin May. Click any to enlarge.
Panel discussion at Lafayette Natural History Museum. From left to right: Cajun folklorist Barry Ancelet and filmmakers Jean-Pierre Bruneau, Glen Pitre, Andre Gladu and Pat Mire. These four filmmakers are internationally recognized by the global film community as the primary film documenters of French-Louisiana culture, and Ancelet has served as research consultant with each of the directors at various times throughout the past 30 years.
Film screening at Cite des Arts