With the skyrocketing number of movies being filmed and produced in Louisiana in recent years and Louisiana’s zeal for the arts and storytelling, it’s astonishing that the Pelican State doesn’t have any major film festivals.
Louisiana International Film Festival is changing the status quo debuting today in New Orleans, concluding Sunday in Baton Rouge.
The initiative is spearheaded by Chesley Heymsfield, executive director and founder of the festival; Jeff “The Dude” Dowd, co-artistic director; and Dan Ireland, co-artistic director and film director; along with many others.
Ireland said the four-day festival will screen more than 60 titles at six different venues in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The fest also includes a multitude of workshops, parties and expos.
Heymsfield enlisted the help of Dowd and Ireland, both industry experts in their own right. Dowd is largely known for being the inspiration for the character “The Dude” in the Coen brothers’ cult classic “The Big Lebowski.” He has been in the film industry from an early age along with Ireland.
Ireland was one of the founders of the Seattle International Film Festival when he was in his early 20s. Dowd said Ireland helped transform the depressed town, No. 44 film market in the nation, to the Mecca for film festivals. Ireland has also directed six films and helped many actresses get their start in the industry, including big names like Renée Zellweger and Jessica Chastain.
The festival boasts nearly every type of movie: documentary, short film, black-and-white, foreign, anime, drama, thriller, comedy, science fiction and the list goes on.
“What I would suggest to everybody, is to go on the website, look at some of the descriptions and then look at the trailers,” Dowd advised. “We’re laying out a buffet. When you go to a buffet, some folks like the shrimp and some folks don’t like the shrimp. So go check out our buffet online. … We’ve got great films across the board for every audience.”
Many of the films fall under a Louisiana-type theme which includes francophone films, (“Renoir,” “In the House”) music-related cinema (“The Savoy King,” “Unfinished Song (Song for Marion)”) and a variety of environmental films (“Ferngully: The Last Rainforest,” “The East”) for Earth Day on Sunday.
Ireland said another special feature will be a midnight screening Friday night at the Union Theater of a documentary named “Room 237” which delves into the twisted world of Stanley Kubrick and theories surrounding his horror classic “The Shining.”
To follow up “Room 237,” a digitally restored screening of “The Shining” will play Saturday night.
Dowd and Ireland have lent their expertise to LIFF and hope to transform the Louisiana community into a thriving film center for the next generation of film creators.
Heymsfield said the inaugural fest has two components: one is the actual screening of the films and the other is a mentorship program, which is essentially an opportunity to help fledgling filmmakers network with industry professionals.
“So basically the genesis behind starting the film festival was in order to help connect new film makers who are up in coming with filmmakers who are veterans in the industry in order to share information, knowledge and resources,” Heymsfield said.
Heysmfield said this program is the first of its kind in the state, and its long-term goal is to get people first-hand experience by getting them on the set, in the development process or the postproduction environment.
Heysmfield suggested an opportunity for connections will begin at 8 p.m. Friday night at the Filmmaker Reception, hosted at the Old State Capitol.
She said the reception will host various filmmakers, live music by pianist Henry Gray and a photo exhibit called “1963” featuring photos focusing on a retrospective look at the civil rights era. The reception is free for students with a University ID.
A full schedule of the films and events, tickets, times and venues can be found at www.liff2013.com
“So basically the genesis behind starting the film festival was in order to help connect new film makers who are up in coming with film makers who are veterans in the industry in order to share information, knowledge and resources.”
What: Louisiana International Film Festival
When: Thursday, April 18 – Sunday, April 21
Where: The Joy Theater (New Orleans), Manship Theatre, Union Theatre, Celtic Media Centre, Old State Capitol, Cinemark Perkins Rowe
How much: Each movie $10-15
All Access Pass: $175
Student Access Pass: $75
