The film industry in Baton Rouge may still be in its infancy, but that didn’t stop the capital city, as well as the University’s campus, from drawing huge names to film movies over the past year.
In November, the University played host to stars Anna Kendrick and Elizabeth Banks, who were here to film the upcoming movie “Pitch Perfect.” Director Jason Moore said he enjoyed filming at the University, singling out locations such as the Huey P. Long pool as one-of-a-kind.
“Literally, if we had built a set for it, it would not have looked as beautiful as that for what we’re doing. That was the selling point,” Moore said. “That was where we were like, ‘We’d be fools not to come here.'”
The film also made use of Swine Palace, the Greek Amphitheatre, the Pentagon, the Quad, the Evangeline Horseshoe and the small courtyard in front of Hill Memorial Library.
Superstar Tom Cruise is in Baton Rouge to film sci-fi flick “Oblivion.” While Cruise hasn’t made his way to the University campus, students may have spotted him around town with his wife, Katie Holmes, and their daughter Suri.
The film industry took a large step forward when the first annual Louisiana International Film Festival was announced in February. The festival will be held in April 2013.
Chesley Heymsfield, executive director of LIFF, said after moving to Baton Rouge from New York, she thought a central hub was needed to showcase the state’s films.
Jeff Dowd, a film producer who served as the inspiration for the main character in the Coen brothers’ 1998 film “The Big Lebowski,” assisted Heymsfield in planning the festival. Dowd, who had a hand in the beginning of the Sundance Film Festival, said he looks forward to what the festival can do for the state.
“This really has the chance to be something special,” Dowd said. “Baton Rouge and New Orleans and the whole area has become such a great spot for film, so a festival is just a great thing for the state.”
Baton Rouge also played host to its first television series. In September, it was announced the hit A&E show “Breakout Kings” would film the entirety of its second season in the capital city and surrounding areas. Amy Mitchell-Smith, former executive director of the Baton Rouge Film Commission, said the show was an important benchmark for the city.
“The absolute mark of building a true production hub is finally realized when a television series moves into your market,” Mitchell-Smith said. “It’s a game-changer because we’re able to build and cultivate a work force that will be here season after season.”
 
—- Contact Joey Groner at [email protected]