After surviving the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and numerous other obstacles, the New Orleans Film Society was back with a bang for the 32nd annual New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF). Spanning from Nov. 5 to Nov. 21, the hybrid film festival offered both in-person and virtual screenings with over 170 films offered at different venues across the city.
By emphasizing diversity, the festival served as the perfect outlet for creators worldwide as filmmakers from nearly 104 countries submitted more than 3,000 films to this year’s festival. The lineup contained 28 world premieres and 11 U.S. premieres.
According to the NOFF website, “films directed by women and gender non-conforming directors account for 64% of the lineup, and films helmed by directors of color make up 73% of the lineup, with 36% of films coming from Black directors.” Additionally, films made in the American South represented 60% and Louisiana-made films represented 22% of the lineup and the directors of selected films represented 24 different nationalities.
There was even some LSU staff with works showcased at the festival. Creative Writing and Screen Arts professor Zack Godshall presented his feature-length documentary, “The Laughing Man,” at the Broad Theater. The film is about Thomas Alan Williamson, a part-time actor, he met while working on another project. Professional-in-residence Glen Pitre also served as producer and screenwriter on the documentary “Mary Queen of Vietnam” which serves as a behind-the-scenes look at the annual Tet Festival in New Orleans.
With a plethora of independent films, documentaries and short films, there was also a great selection of “Spotlight Films,” typically high-profile pictures from well-established filmmakers. This year, the Opening Gala film that kicked off the festival was Mike Mill’s “C’mon C’mon,” starring Joaquin Phoenix and newcomer Woody Norman, at the Orpheum Theater. Set in New Orleans during the third act, the film follows a documentary filmmaker tasked with taking care of his nine-year-old nephew. It’s a warm, soulful film about families and their fault lines that deserve to be seen, but the most special thing about the screening was that Mills was in attendance for a Q&A after the film where he actually answered one of my questions!
Baton Rouge resident Jane Lynam noted that “It was an amazing experience watching a film in the Orpheum Theater, and getting to see [Mills] before and after and listening to him talk about making the film was so cool.” She added how “seeing a film set in New Orleans, where so much great art is made, was an amazing experience… It just felt really cool being in the same place that it was made in while watching it.”
Well-spoken and emitting unabashed kindness, it was truly a pleasure getting to hear Mills deliberate on his newest work.
Other Spotlight Films that premiered included Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket” which revolves around a former porn star who returns to his Texas hometown, featuring New Orleans actress Judy Hill. Additionally, Kenneth Branagh’s personal love letter “Belfast,” Céline Sciamma’s “Petite Maman” who also directed “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Memoria” that won the Cannes Film Festival’s 2021 jury prize, and Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard” about the father of Serena and Venus Williams screen at the festival.