Cinema on the Bayou
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Thursday, January 28, 2010
Pack and Paddle
6:00 PM Thursday, January 28, 2010 - Pack and Paddle
Turning the Tide
Rebecca Ferris, Director 8 min. 23 sec. Color
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
This documentary short adresses the issues of coastal erosion and restoration efforts in the context of the Christmas tree program, which gives residents of south Louisiana the opportunity to participate actively in restoring Louisiana's wetlands. "Turning the Tide" is a production of Cottage Films.
6:20 PM Thursday, January 28, 2010 - Pack and Paddle
All Over But To Cry
The Louisiana Tidal Wave of 1957
Jennifer John Block, Director 2009 49 min. Color and Black and White
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
This is a moving documentary on Hurricane Audry, which killed at least 500 people in Cameron Parish, Louisiana in 1957. In addition to beautifully rendered recreations, the story is told in first-person accounts of 8 survivors of the storm, some of whom were kids at the time the hurricane hit Cameron Parish, who recall in vivid and emotionally-charged detail the events of that time. As Mike Scott of NOLA.com put it, "in the hands of Block and director of photography Jake Springfield, this is powerful, gripping stuff, a story worthy of Hollywood -- and can't-miss cinema for local residents."
Filmmaker's web site: http://getfreshmedia.com/index.php?page=all-over-but-to-cry
Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities 2010 Humanities Documentary Film of the Year Award
7:30 PM Thursday, January 28, 2010 - Pack and Paddle
Atchafalaya Swamp Revisited
Bill Rodman, Producer/Director 2003 27 min. Color
Film screening
In this documentary co-produced by the Bill Rodman Production Shoppe and Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Emmy Award winning journalist and filmmaker Bill Rodman details nature photographer CC Lockwood's return to America's largest swamp wilderness thirty years after his acclaimed Atchafalaya book and National Geographic article. Unfortunately, Lockwood finds the swamp's most interesting and threatened species have since vanished. The story Rodman weaves explores the degree to which the Atchafalaya Swamp has changed -- naturally and culturally -- since the great flood of 1927, while revealing an account of one of America's last and most intriguing frontier communities.
Filmmaker's web site: http://www.lpb.org/programs/atchafalaya/
Friday, January 29, 2010
LITE
5:30 PM Friday, January 29, 2010 - LITE
All Over But To Cry
The Louisiana Tidal Wave of 1957
Jennifer John Block, Director 2009 49 min. Color and Black and White
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
This is a moving documentary on Hurricane Audry, which killed at least 500 people in Cameron Parish, Louisiana in 1957. In addition to beautifully rendered recreations, the story is told in first-person accounts of 8 survivors of the storm, some of whom were kids at the time the hurricane hit Cameron Parish, who recall in vivid and emotionally-charged detail the events of that time. As Mike Scott of NOLA.com put it, "in the hands of Block and director of photography Jake Springfield, this is powerful, gripping stuff, a story worthy of Hollywood -- and can't-miss cinema for local residents."
Filmmaker's web site: http://getfreshmedia.com/index.php?page=all-over-but-to-cry
Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities 2010 Humanities Documentary Film of the Year Award
6:30 PM Friday, January 29, 2010 - LITE
Mardi Gras: Made In China
David Redmon, Director/Editor 2008 48 min. Color
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
This documentary film explores the economic, personal and toxic consequences behind the label "Made in China." Widely praised as "engrossing" (Village Voice), "humorous" (Film Threat), and "punchy and startling" (New York Times), director David Redmon follows the path of Mardi Gras beads from the naked streets of New Orleans during Carnival to the factories of Fuzhou, China, focusing on teenaged girls who work in the largest bead factory in China. Blending comedy with curiosity, Redmon's stunning film "represents the best of what a U.S. independent documentary can be -- adventurous, original, informative, and witty" (Senses of Cinema).
Filmmaker's web site: www.carnivalesquefilms.com
Nominated for Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival
7:30 PM Friday, January 29, 2010 - LITE
Panel Discussion On Urban And Rural Mardi Gras And The Global Implications Of These Varied Traditions
Panel Discussion
Expert panel discussion on urban (including New Orleans and Lafayette) and rural Mardi Gras traditions and the global implications of these various traditions.
8:00 PM Friday, January 29, 2010 - LITE
Mardi Gras Wine and Gumbo Reception
Reception
A Mardi Gras themed reception for the filmmakers and panelists with wine and gumbo. This reception is sponsored by Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission and Karl Breaux and Breaux's Mart.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Cite des Arts
9:00 AM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Little Houses
Zach Broussard/Donny Broussard, Directors 2009 30 min. Color
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
Set in the heart of rural Louisiana, "Little Houses" follows the faded Cajun burial custom of constructing wooden houses over graves. The small community of Mermentau Cove, Louisiana was once home to nearly forty gravehouses. Today, only three houses remain. "Little Houses" investigates the many theories behind why the structures were built as they are considered for the National Register of Historic Places. The film features dialog with top academics, the heartfelt stories from the locals who know the houses best, and original Cajun music of the Lost Bayou Ramblers. Subtitles are provided in French and English.
9:45 AM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Looking For Trouble (World Premiere)
David M. Brasseaux, Director 2010 32 min. Color/Black and white
Film Screening and Discussion
Violence at Cajun dances, bars, and night clubs increased exponentially after the Civil War. Locals coped with economic collapse and the horrors of war by formulating an honor code, one that defined how Cajuns settled disputes. "Looking for Trouble," the first feature-length documentary by David M. Brasseux, examines the often bloody conflicts that raged in two Acadia Parish communities during the twentieth century. This film portrays the dramatic memory of knife-toting bullies and their pistol-carrying victims who interrupted social life in Pointe Noire and Marais Bouleur.
10:30 AM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Rough-Cut Screening of Films-In-Progress
David Redmon, Ashley Sabin, Producers/Directors 2010 Color
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
Brooklyn-based and globetrotting filmmakers David Redmon and Ashley Sabin have been working for some time on two new film, both as yet untitled, and consider the screening of footage of the films-in-progress with audience feed back to be an important part of the creative process. The two have traveled to Japan and Russia on several occasions to conduct research and shoot footage for one their next film. They will be in attendance to share with the audience some of what they have done thus far.
Filmmaker's web site: http://carnivalesquefilms.com
11:45 AM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Deconfliction
Edward Tyndall, Director 2007 12:45 min. Color and black and white
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
In utero during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Chris Highland grew up obsessed with the prospect of nuclear annihilation. After spending years studying the conflicts that led up to the Cold War, Chris accompanied Russian troops to Chechnya as a photographer. Shot by Chechen Rebels while on his journey, Chris narrowly escaped with his life. During recovery he experienced an epiphany: the conflict he had been chasing all these years was inside him. "Deconfliction" delves into the mind of an individual struggling to make peace with his conflicted gender identity, a conflict that Chris believes may have been caused by the Cold War.
12:30 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Clarence John Laughlin: An Artist With A Camera
Michael Murphy, Michael Frierson, Directors/Producers 2009 65 min. Color
Film Screening
This documentary chronicles the life of one of America's most significant and enigmatic visual artists. A philosopher, architectural preservationist and an early surrealist, Laughlin's photography and writings documented the cultural and spiritual landscape of twentieth century America. Born into a religious family in Louisiana, his childhood was cut short, forcing him to leave school. He turned away from the teachings of the church and toward books, beginning a lifelong quest to find spiritual answers to the stark realities that surrounded him. But it was the gift of a camera that gave him the medium to express his vision. Laughlin's photographs, and accompanying writings, revealed what he believed to be the effects of war and urbanization on the human condition. His approach was twofold: create works that question "reality" by exposing what lays beyond the "ordinary," and encourage people to protect what is valuable from the past and use that as the foundation to build a better future. Laughlin was an irascible character, an under-recognized artist, and an artistic genius. He struggled against the prejudice that was directed towards Southern artists of his day and was ostracized for using techniques that were not readily accepted by the dominating photographic hierarchy. His legacy is a remarkable body of work that is a testament to an artist who relentlessly drove himself to achieve his dreams. Today, his 17,000 master prints are considered to be one of the most important archives in American photography.
Filmmaker's web site: http://www.mmptv.com
1:45 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Sacred Spaces: The Architecture of Fay Jones (Louisiana Premiere)
Larry Foley, Dale Carpenter, Producers/Directors 2009 60 min. Color
Film Screening
This documentary film by Emmy-award winning University of Arkansas professors Larry Foley and Dale Carpenter examines the life and career of architect Fay Jones of Fayetteville, Arkansas, who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright and eventually ascended to heights rivaling his master. Jones became one of the most acclaimed and significant architects of the latter 20th century. He won the prestigious AIA Gold Medal in 1990, awarded for a lifetime of work that included his masterpiece, Thorncrown Chapel near Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Jones was among the most successful Frank Lloyd Wright acolytes, having lived and worked at Taliesin in 1953 but subsequently finding his own architectural voice. In his 1992 book about Jones, author Robert Ivy noted: "Jones has, more than any other Wright disciple, fulfilled Wright's wish, contributing an architecture with 'forms of his own devising.'"
3:00 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Mon Reve Familier (Louisiana Premiere)
JWJ Ferguson, Director 2009 14 min. 15 sec. Color
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
In this stunningly captivating narrative fiction short, a circus performer recalls a doomed passion and evokes the mystery of love and of loss. Alone in his home, he listens to a recording of the poem ("Mon Reve Familier" by Paul Verlaine, 1866) he once shared with the woman he loves. And, as he mends his disheveled performance costume, her images and words haunt him. Conjuring her in memory and dream, he suddenly sees her before him. He approaches her, searching, and she eludes him in a sensual dance. The film uses both dialog and voice over in French, English and Spanish (with subtitles in each). And -- with its lush colors and stunning imagery -- it moves effortlessly between the present, and memory and a dream. The film, like Verlaine's poem, becomes a subtle study of man and of love.
Filmmaker's web site: http://www.monrevefamilier.com
3:45 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Vues du bayou: A Retrospective Of The Louisiana Films of Andre Gladu
Andre Gladu, Producer/Director Color
Film Screenings and Filmmaker Q & A
As part of our French language section of the film festival, we celebrate the Louisiana films of Quebecois documentary filmmaker Andre Gladu. Mr. Gladu was recently awarded the prestigious Ordre des francophones d'Amerique in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the promotion of the French language and culture in North America, and his celebration, as an ethnographer, of traditional North American music and other arts. In particular, he has made numerous documentaries that have featured the culture, music and language of the French speaking Cajuns and Creoles of southwest Louisiana. Many of those films will be screened during this festival as part of this retrospective honoring Mr. Gladu's impressive body of work as an ethnographer of traditional Cajun and Creole cultures.
3:45 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Fred's Lounge
Le son des Cajuns de la Louisiane I
Andre Gladu, Michel Brault, Producers/Directors 1976 27 min. Color
Film Screening
Every Saturday morning, Fred's Lounge was (and remains) a gathering place for folks from the Mamou prarie area to come to play and sing and pass the time. Quebecois filmmaker Andre Gladu traveled to Mamou in the 1970's to film there with cinematographer Michel Brault and captured on film this rich aspect of Cajun life in the company of Revon Reed, host for KEUN radio station. The film also features Nathan Abshire, Sadie Courville, and the Deshotels Brothers. French (no English subtitles).
4:20 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Ma Chere Terre
Le son des Cajuns de la Louisiane II
Andre Gladu, Michel Brault, Producers/Directors 1976 27 min. Color
Film Screening
"Ma Chere Terre" (My Dear Land) brings us Revon Reed, writer and French professor in Mamou, Louisiana, who explains why the Cajun feels a great need for music. Dispossessed of their lands in old Acadia, what counted most for the Cajuns was to secure a piece of ground, culviate it and faire recolte (harvest) in peace. This film by Andre Gladu and Michel Brault, which also features Dennis McGee, Edwin Lejeune and Aediu Naquin, is part of a film series entitled "Le Son des Francais d'Amerique" (Sound of the French-speaking people of North America) filmed in the period 1974-1978. French (no English subtitles).
4:55 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Les Creoles
Les son des Cejuns de la Louisiane III
Andre Gladu, Michel Brault, Producers/Directors 1976 28 min. Color
Film Screening
This documentary concerns the black Creoles of southwest Louisiana who speak French and play Cajun music. As sons of slaves who came from the West Indies, they suffered not only because they were poor and black but also because they were French-speaking. Their life is described by Revon Reed, writer and professor from Mamou, Louisiana, as well as Inez Catalon, Delton Broussard, and Calvin Carriere. French (no English subtitles).
5:00 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Cinematography Roundtable
Roundtable discussion with 3 New Orleans filmmakers, 3 Lafayette filmmakers and 2 New York filmmakers
A roundtable discussion among 3 New Orleans filmmakers, 3 Lafayette filmmakers and 2 New York filmmakers about the art and craft of cinematography.
5:30 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Reveille!
Le son des Cajuns de la Louisiane IV
Andre Gladu/Michel Brault, Producers/Directors 1976 28 min. Color
Film Screening
This documentary presents a young Zachary Richard explaining how efficiently the American melting pot has succeeded in eradicating cultural identities in America. As a result, thousands of young Louisiana citizens with French names were unable to utter a word of French. Some, like members of the Coteau band, including Michael Doucet, or musician Zachary Richard, and Felix Richard, are aware of this and seek to make a difference. French (no English subtitles).
6:00 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Discussion of Andre Gladu Films
Andre Gladu Film Discussion and Filmmaker Q & A
Andre Gladu will discuss the four films screened from the series of films entitled "Le Son des Francais d'Amerique." Following the discussion, there will be a reception in honor of Mr. Gladu in the Blue Room at Cite des Arts.
6:30 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
October Country (Louisiana Premiere)
Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher, Directors 2009 80 min. Color
Film Screening to be Followed By Discussion
"October Country" is a beautifully rendered portrait of an American family struggling for stability while haunted by the ghosts of war, teen pregnancy, foster care and child abuse. This vibrant and intimate documentary examines the forces that unsettle the working poor and the violence that lurks beneath the surface of American life. Shot over a year from one Halloween to the next, the film uses rich visual metaphors and floats through multiple storylines to paint a portrait of a family that is unique but also sadly representative of the struggle of America's working class.
"October Country" has been nominated for Best Documentary at the Independent Spirit Awards scheduled for March 15, 2010.
Filmmaker's web site: http://www.octobercountryfilm.com
2009 SILVERDOCS Sterling Grand Jury Prize for Best US Documentary; 2009 Starz/Denver Special Jury Prize - Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary; 2009 Montreal RIDM Film Festival - Best Editor; 2009 DocLisboa Film Festival - Best First Feature
8:00 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
16mm Cinema Show
Ian Wood, Curator Color and Black and White
Film Screenings of 16 mm films
A "Cinema Show" is a live, cinematic extravaganza, a film experience unlike any other. The event will include a collection of short films -- experimental, animation, avant-garde, surrealist, documentary, archival/recombinant, home movie, multiple-projection, etc. -- all screened in their original, 16mm film format. Along with the films, there will be live performance, live cinematic score, sound effects, and music. Films include works by filmmaker/Cinema Show curator, Ian Wood, award-winning filmmaker/performance artist Anthony Howard, artist Joel Kelly, avant-garde master, Hans Richter, as well as Cinema on the Bayou's very own Pat Mire! There will be art. There will be beer. Come and re-imagine cinema at the Bayou's very own Cinema Show! The 16mm Cinema Show will take place in the Blue Room at Cite des Arts.
8:00 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Maroon
On The Trail Of Creoles In North America
Andre Gladu, Director 2005 105 min. Color
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
Louisiana's Creole culture helped shape the New World and contributed to the emergence of jazz. But what remains of this unique, mixed-race society, with roots in France, Africa, the Caribbean, Spain and America? "Maroon" searches for the origins of this little-understood and endangered culture and shows how it is doing today. In seeking out the Creole community -- about 250,000 strong in the United States -- filmmaker Andre Gladu pays tribute to their Maroon ancestors, runaway slaves who passed on their indomitable spirit.
10:00 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Shake The Devil Off
Peter Entell, Director 2007 99 min. Color
Film Screening
This documentary feature film by Swiss director Peter Entell is set in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It tells the story of St. Augustine Church, Father LeDoux, its pastor, and the efforts of the parishioners in combination with local musicians to resist the decision of the archdiocese to close the parish and send Father LeDoux away. St. Augustine Church is an important symbol for the people fighting to save it because it was there that, for the first time, slaves, free black people and whites sat side by side, praying to God. Many say it is where jazz was born. Johnny Leahan of "IndieWIRE" writes that this film is "one of those rare documentaries that combines an engaging central character, a clear struggle in progress, and an unexpected ending," and, as the fight to save the church evolves, "students and others both black and white, join forces to occupy the church in an act of civil disobedience, and heroes are born as the cameras roll."
Filmmaker's web site: http://www.shakethedeviloff.com
Best Documentary Feature Film, Nashville Film Festival
Lafayette Public Libarary South Regional Branch
1:15 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Lafayette Public Libarary South Regional Branch
A Village Called Versailles
S. Leo Chiang, Producer/Director/Cinematographer 2009 75 min. Color
Film Screening
In a New Orleans East neighborhood called Versailles, a tight-knit group of Vietnamese Americans overcame obstacles to rebuild after losing everything in Hurricane Katrina only to have their homes threatened by a new government-imposed toxic landfill. This moving documentary by award-winning director Leo Chiang is the empowering story of how the Versailles people, who have already suffered so much in their lifetime, with the Catholic Church a central focus of support, turn a devastating disaster into a catalyst for change and a chance for a better future for their community.
Filmmaker's web site: www.avillagecalledversailles.com
2:30 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Lafayette Public Libarary South Regional Branch
Grown In Detroit (Louisiana Premiere)
Mascha and Manfred poppenk, Directors 2009 60 min. Color
Film screening
Imagine urban teens, pregnant and farming in a decaying city. They are working, learning and planning for a better life. It's not a movie script, it's a documentary by Dutch filmmakers Mascha and Manfred Poppenk. While Detroit may have a reputation as one of the most impoverished and dangerous cities in the U.S., this award-winning documentary exposes a different side of the city. It focuses on a very special public school, the Catherine Ferguson Academy for Young Women, which serves the educational needs of impoverished teenage mothers. Besides academics, the faculty instructs the students in agriculture, as every young woman at the school is required to assist in the day-to-day activities of the school's garden among the vacant lots of Detroit. The film takes its title from the labels the school puts on the produce it sells each Saturday at Detroit's Eastern Market. "The Poppenks have made a truly remarkable documentary about a story of real, honest-to-goodness hope in one of the most unlikely places," says reviewer Paul Bower.
Filmmaker's web site: www.filmmij.nl
3:45 PM Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Lafayette Public Libarary South Regional Branch
Mardi Gras: Made In China
David Redmon, Director/Editor 2008 48 min. Color
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
This documentary film explores the economic, personal and toxic consequences behind the label "Made in China." Widely praised as "engrossing" (Village Voice), "humorous" (Film Threat), and "punchy and startling" (New York Times), director David Redmon follows the path of Mardi Gras beads from the naked streets of New Orleans during Carnival to the factories of Fuzhou, China, focusing on teenaged girls who work in the largest bead factory in China. Blending comedy with curiosity, Redmon's stunning film "represents the best of what a U.S. independent documentary can be -- adventurous, original, informative, and witty" (Senses of Cinema).
Filmmaker's web site: www.carnivalesquefilms.com
Nominated for Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Cite des Arts
12:00 PM Sunday, January 31, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Congo Square - Sacred Place of the Houmas
Andre Gladu, Director 2005 27 min. Color
Film Screening with filmmaker Q & A
This film presents Houma Indians Charlie Duthu and Calvin Parfait of the south Louisiana band Treaters (Traiteurs) in New Orleans at Congo Square singing in response to each other and speaking in Cajun French (no English subtitles).
12:45 PM Sunday, January 31, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Texas Zydeco (Louisiana Premiere)
Ruben Duran, Donna Pinnick, Producers/Directors 2008 30 min. Color
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
Black Creoles from southwest Louisiana began moving into southeast Texas in search of better jobs during the first half of the twentieth century. As they resettled, so did their music. This documentary film produced by Houston Community College Central College, based on the book of the same name by Roger Wood, Ph.D. and photographer James Fraher, describes how, over the course of several generations, the zydeco people of southeast Texas have defined themselves as a uniquely proud and vibrant community encompassing musicians and fans, dancers and promoters, young and old. Blending their respect for black Creole cultural traditions with an open-minded enthusiam for musical innovation, they have crafted a potent, still-evolving soundtrack to life on the upper Gulf Coast. According to Dr. Wood, as the new players traveled back and forth between Houston and Lafayette, they spread the new sound along a "zydeco corridor" that is the musical axis around which zydeco revolves to this day.
Telly Awards Bronze Winner
1:30 PM Sunday, January 31, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Zarico
Andre Gladu, Director 1984 57 min.
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
Zarico, zydeco or zodico in English, is the distinct folk music of the black Creole population of southwestern Louisiana documented by Quebecois filmmaker Andre Gladu. A blending of rhythm and blues with French Cajun music, it is a musical style which has evolved over generations and has influenced jazz, blues and rock. In retracing the footsteps of the Creole population -- who came from Africa, the Caribbean and Acadia -- this documentary reveals the various musical influences and development of the style of Zarico music and shows that the music of the black Creoles, like their language, is an expression of their originality and independence from the American "melting pot." "Zarico" offers the viewer a rare look at this thriving musical style in its cultural and historicl context and includes footage of a Saturday morning radio broadcast at KEUN radio station and interviews with musicians Canray Fontenot, Alphonse Boisec Ardoin, Russell Gordon and Rockin' Doopsie. This film is a co-production of the National Film Board of Canada and Nanouk Films.
3:00 PM Sunday, January 31, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Noah
Andre Gladu, Director 1985 10 min. Color
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
In "Noah," the Bible story of the Deluge is told by three black Creoles from Opelousas, Louisiana, who tell the story in the singing tradition called "jure," referring to an unaccompanied group singing with syncopated hand and foot percussion.
3:30 PM Sunday, January 31, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Panel Discussion on Zydeco Music and the "Zydeco Corridor"
Panel Discussion
This expert discussion, moderated by music critic and KRVS radio personality Herman Fuselier, will include Roger Wood, Ph.D., author of the book "Texas Zydeco," Zydeco musician Nathan Williams and filmmakers Andre Gladu, Ruben Duren and Donna Pinnick, whose films are featured on this Zydeco Sunday program. They will engage in a lively discussion on the roots, development and future of Zydeco music in southwest Louisiana and along the "Zydeco corridor" between Lafayette and Houston and will address, in particular, the premise presented in Dr. Wood's book that many of the most formative players and moments in modern Zydeco history developed in Texas, not Louisiana, and especially in Houston.
4:30 PM Sunday, January 31, 2010 - Cite des Arts
Closing Reception and Awards Presentation
Lafayette Public Library Main Branch (Downtown)
1:15 PM Sunday, January 31, 2010 - Lafayette Public Library Main Branch (Downtown)
A Village Called Versailles
S. Leo Chiang, Producer/Director/Cinematographer 2009 75 min. Color
Film Screening
In a New Orleans East neighborhood called Versailles, a tight-knit group of Vietnamese Americans overcame obstacles to rebuild after losing everything in Hurricane Katrina only to have their homes threatened by a new government-imposed toxic landfill. This moving documentary by award-winning director Leo Chiang is the empowering story of how the Versailles people, who have already suffered so much in their lifetime, with the Catholic Church a central focus of support, turn a devastating disaster into a catalyst for change and a chance for a better future for their community.
Filmmaker's web site: www.avillagecalledversailles.com
2:30 PM Sunday, January 31, 2010 - Lafayette Public Library Main Branch (Downtown)
Grown In Detroit (Louisiana Premiere)
Mascha and Manfred poppenk, Directors 2009 60 min. Color
Film Screening
Imagine urban teens, pregnant and farming in a decaying city. They are working, learning and planning for a better life. It's not a movie script, it's a documentary by Dutch filmmakers Mascha and Manfred Poppenk. While Detroit may have a reputation as one of the most impoverished and dangerous cities in the U.S., this award-winning documentary exposes a different side of the city. It focuses on a very special public school, the Catherine Ferguson Academy for Young Women, which serves the educational needs of impoverished teenage mothers. Besides academics, the faculty instructs the students in agriculture, as every young woman at the school is required to assist in the day-to-day activities of the school's garden among the vacant lots of Detroit. The film takes its title from the labels the school puts on the produce it sells each Saturday at Detroit's Eastern Market. "The Poppenks have made a truly remarkable documentary about a story of real, honest-to-goodness hope in one of the most unlikely places," says reviewer Paul Bower.
Filmmaker's web site: www.filmmij.nl
3:45 PM Sunday, January 31, 2010 - Lafayette Public Library Main Branch (Downtown)
Mardi Gras: Made In China
David Redmon, Director/Editor 2008 48 min. Color
Film Screening and Filmmaker Q & A
This documentary film explores the economic, personal and toxic consequences behind the label "Made in China." Widely praised as "engrossing" (Village Voice), "humorous" (Film Threat), and "punchy and startling" (New York Times), director David Redmon follows the path of Mardi Gras beads from the naked streets of New Orleans during Carnival to the factories of Fuzhou, China, focusing on teenaged girls who work in the largest bead factory in China. Blending comedy with curiosity, Redmon's stunning film "represents the best of what a U.S. independent documentary can be -- adventurous, original, informative, and witty" (Senses of Cinema).
Filmmaker's web site: www.carnivalesquefilms.com
Nominated for Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival