Chris Eska - Lafayette

The latest update from filmmaker Chris Eska, touring his film The Retrieval on the Southern Circuit:

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Lafayette, Louisiana
Storm clouds erupted across Louisiana as I drove to Lafayette for a screening at Vermilionville Living History Museum. During the screening, the rain pounded the roof and the wind threatened to pry off the walls of the performance hall, but sometimes watching a movie during a thunderstorm can add to the experience and mystery of what’s unfolding on screen. The audience was small, but the discussion afterward was intimate, and they even answered some of my questions about life and Cajun culture in Acadiana.

Jan Krawitz - Lafayette and Alexandria

The latest updates from filmmaker Jan Krawitz, who recently completed touring her film Perfect Strangers on the Southern Circuit.

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March 24, Lafayette, LA

Today's screening was held at The Vermilionville Living History & Folk Life Park. Erin Stickney first took me to the local NPR station situated at the University of Louisiana for an interview on a local talk show. The host, Judith Meriwether, asked provocative questions about the film and my approach to documentary in general. The setting for the screening that evening was in a lovely museum where a number of historical buildings had been restored in a plein air setting. The screening was in a performance space and jambalaya had been prepared by the chef from the on-site café. Although the audience had only six people, we had a substantive conversation following the screening. There were two nurses in attendance who had a lot to offer and one woman talked about her husband who had donated his organs posthumously. As always, I took away more insights about the issues following as well as suggestions about outreach to “health ministries” within Southern churches.

March 25, Alexandria, LA
It was lovely to be off the interstate and invited by a local couple, Nicole and David Holcombe, to stay in their home. They have hosted filmmakers on the Southern Circuit for about five years and I truly enjoyed meeting them, seeing their wonderful house filled with eclectic art, and having an incredible home-cooked meal!  We rushed off to the local performing arts center – a grand, 10-year old building. Matt Henry introduced the film to a very small crowd.  But again, the conversation afterwards had its own rewards. Present in the audience was a nephrologist who has worked with kidney patients for years and sits on the board of LOPA (Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency) so he proffered some interesting opinions. His wife and I chatted before the screening and, based on the film's description, she shared her incredulity about that someone would voluntary choose to donate a kidney to a perfect stranger. After the screening, she had moderated her skepticism and appreciated how Ellie's (my subject) actions were consistent with her worldview and approach to life. I had a wonderful night in the restful environment of the Holcombe's home before flying back to San Francisco the following day. So the whirlwind tour has come to a close and I truly appreciated the opportunity to be present with the film in such diverse locations. I often think of putting a film out in the world as akin to a “tree falling in the forest." Most of the time, I don't really know if it is heard – but the Southern Circuit allowed me to engage with audiences who approached the film with an open mind and generously shared their responses with me.

Jan Krawitz - New Iberia, LA

The latest update from filmmaker Jan Krawitz, touring her film Perfect Strangers on the Southern Circuit:

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I decided to a different route back to the Lafayette area for my Monday night screening. Sunday was a day off and I had planned to explore the Creole Nature Trail that encompasses several national wildlife refuges within the southwest corner of the state.

Driving at a leisurely pace, I would stop for excursions along the various boardwalks that traverse sections of the area. But when I awoke on Sunday morning, the area was shrouded in fog with severely limited visibility so a change of plans was in order. The day was unseasonably cool and I drove through several dramatic rainstorms en route to Avery Island which is about 20 miles south of Lafayette. Fortunately, I arrived on the privately-owned island (home of the McIlhenny Tabasco Factory) after the rain had stopped and the day had transformed into a balmy, overcast one. After a brief tour of the factory (the assembly lines are in operation only Monday thru Thursday), I explored the Jungle Gardens which are maintained and operated by the family business.  This 170-acre garden offers a three-mile loop through natural marshes, man-made lagoons, beautifully landscaped areas, and a nesting area for egrets.

Since I had the time, I decided to leave the car behind and explore the trail on foot. As the SUV’s barreled past, I had the luxury of veering off the gravel road, and seeing things that would remain unnoticed at 25 miles an hour. I've included a photo….

George Gage- Georgia and Louisiana

The latest update from George Gage, touring his film Bidder 70 on the Southern Circuit.

I started out in Hapeville, GA, which is a cute little town. It is unbelievable that only a few miles out of Atlanta it’s almost seems like a throwback to the 1950’s. The venue was a cute little white church with a white steeple. I was met by a nice host, Allen O’Brien, who was very enthusiastic about having my film, Bidder 70 there. We had a good screening and a good crowd, and a very engaging Question and Answer session. All in all, my residency in Hapeville was very successful.

Then I went on to McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was actually a small crowd. I was a little bit upset because at McNeese college, where the venue was, there’s an art program. Usually we get the local art students and social activist types attending the screenings, but I don’t think there were any students here, and I was disappointed. I just hope that young people and future generations start coming out to events like this and start coming out to movies because you can’t get the whole message by going on Facebook or streaming it online. When you have that one on one with the director or the protagonist of the film, I think you get so much more out of it. Again, the host, Ladonna McKnight was very nice.

Robert Redford wearing
a Bidder 70 hat on the set
of his 2012 film,
The Company You Keep.
Source: FlynetPictures.com

Something funny happened at this screening. I usually sell merchandise after the movie, including Bidder 70 hats, which Robert Redford made sort of famous by wearing it everywhere. This gentleman came up to me and I said asked how much it was to buy a hat. His wife said, "Oh he has so many hats!" and this gentleman agreed with her, and began to put the hat back on the merchandise table. But then, I just picked the hat back up put it right on his head and said, "Well now you have one more; that will be 20 dollars." And amazingly enough, he reached into his pocket and gave me the $20! I've learned that sometimes when the crowds are slim you have to push a little bit!

George Gage at the Movie Tavern

From Lake Charles, I then went on to the city of Suwanee, GA. The evening started out with a very nice dinner at Outback Steakhouse, with our host, Tony Shrewberry and Councilman Dan Foster. Dan took some really nice pictures of the theatre, which was called the Movie Tavern. The theatre is very interesting because it’s a dinner theatre, so people can sit at a table and watch the movie with a fresh cocktail and food as they enjoy the movie. Again, we had a nice crowd and a good Q&A session.

George Gage at the Movie Tavern

My next stop on the tour, in Alexandria, Louisiana was tough. The movie was screened at a giant venue. The theatre had 1,200 seats, and the audience was small. One member of the audience drove all the way up from New Orleans to see the movie! In fact, he’s going to be there again tonight to see the movie again! My next stop on tour, and where I’m reporting from now, Lafayette, Louisiana, has been great so far. I just had a radio interview at NPR (National Public Radio), which will hopefully reach out to the college students in the area. I really tried out to shout out to them. I said, “It’s really important that we get young people in the theatre. It’s important that young people get the message of Bidder 70 and the message of Timothy DeChristopher.” I've been very optimistic that we’ll have a nice crowd tonight that will include college students as well as what seems to be our average age group, which is people around age 55 or 60.

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[Update from the following day] - Well I did get some people to the screening in Lafayette because of the interview on NPR. There were quite a few mature people there that heard the interview and were inspired to come see the film. But again, no young people came, even though Lafayette is the city that the University of Louisiana is in. On a brighter note, there were a lot of members there from the Sierra Club. During the Q&A not only were the Sierra Club members very actively participating in questions about Timothy DeChristopher’s actions and Bidder 70 and everything else, they also got a discussion going of some of the local issues here in Lafayette, about some issues important to Louisiana and the Sierra Club. It was an inspiring, mature “round table” type discussion. The venue itself in Lafayette was an old historic building with excellent projection equipment. The surrounding area was really interesting! The buildings were like little museum pieces! The building where we actually held the screening was a really cool venue. 

Hope you find this report interesting and that something exciting will happen tonight in Madison!  

Meet Ronnie Cramer

Welcome Ronnie Cramer to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! Ronnie will be touring with his film, Sixty in 60. The first stop for Ronnie is April 10th at the Jules Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in Auburn, Alabama. Don't forget your popcorn!

About Ronnie: Artist/Musician/Filmmaker Ronnie Cramer has been active in the arts community for over thirty years. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries and other venues across the country, his music has achieved airplay on over 100 radio stations nationwide and his critically-acclaimed films have been screened at festivals around the world. He has also been featured as a guest lecturer on art and media at numerous museums and universities.

Sixty in 60 will also be screened in Lafayette, Louisiana.

View the trailer for Sixty in 60 below:

David Simpson kicks off the tour for A Good Man

A GOOD MAN

David E. Simpson

This was my fourth time on the Circuit (Am I setting a record of any kind?). This one was a mini tour: Monsieurs Gordon Quinn and Bob Hercules, directors of A GOOD MAN, graciously allowed me to take a third of this tour due to my fondness for the open road and the warm Southern audiences that make up the circuit. My stops were Auburn, AL and Lafayette, LA.

Auburn was predictably pleasant. I’d been there on the 2009 tour with my film MILKING THE RHINO. That previous experience included a post-show soiree at someone’s home, where they fed me dinner and bourbon and the conversation went deep into the night. No such luck this time but the show was great anyway. The venue is a refreshing anomaly: a newish, stylish art museum on the outskirts of a university town otherwise devoted to football. The audience at each of my Auburn shows has been populated by several retired professors who seem to be regulars at the screenings, so the Q&As tend to be of a pretty high order.

The following night in Lafayette took the cake though. Screening in a state of the art theater in the brand new Acadiana Arts Center… the film never sounded better. But the real highlight was before and after the show. My host steered me towards Randols: a cavernous Cajun joint beloved by locals. It’s crawfish season! So I dared to have crawfish etouffee that was topped by a whole one of the little boogers, which I needed help from my waitress to figure out how to shell and eat. 

Then after the screening a local told me about the Blue Moon, just down the road, which hosted a Cajun jam session every Wednesday night. This place was the real deal: tucked out of the way on a side street, a dozen folks on stage w accordions, fiddles, guitars and washboard; a few younger folks on the periphery learning from the grizzled vets. Very cool.

All that, plus the 70-something weather, made it pretty hard to come back to Chicago.

The sorry thing is that I forgot to bring my camera (and my phone cam is crappola), so I can’t prove any of this.

Going on the Southern Circuit is a good reason to make more films.

More Adventures with Emily Hubley

2/8 blog

Up early enough to get to Price’s House of Barbecue – delicious breakfast biscuit – remembered the sauce this time.

On to a FAST run through of the Jule Collins Smith Museum. The nice guard remembers me from last night. I enjoy the Freedom exhibit and make a wish in the fountain, but don’t have time to take a photo.

Drive to the airport and board the plane almost immediately. Lots of seat swapping followed by a long wait in Atlanta during which I type yesterday’s blog into my blackberry – busy digits!

In Lafayette I meet my host Aimee Pawloski for tapas at Pamplona before the screening. Really nice place – I recommend it. The theater is new and beautiful. The projection is perfect (thank you George). At the Q&A I don’t grope for words – the film is well-received by a diverse and intelligent crowd.  We discuss (and enjoy) the adventure of human interaction.

I’m inspired to return to the Acadiana Arts Center with a film/live music performance (many thoughts brewing) but of course I’d have to create one first.

 Aimee drives me back to my hotel where Jade, the physical therapy student working the front desk, is chilling my ice pack in the lobby freezer.  I’m exhausted. Good night Lafayette!

Welcome to Shelbyville

Does crawfish ever belong in a Louisiana gumbo? Sure, I would have said. I wouldn't have thought twice about it, before my visit to Lafayette this past week. But a testy debate took place at the bar I sat at just before the screening of my film at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. "You can be creative, but there are still some rules," the guy sitting next to me says. His friend seems to disagree but also seems a little intimidated, so he lets it go. Identifying himself as a young oil trader living between Lafayette and Houston, he also tells me first hand that well over double the amount of oil being reported during the spill had been pouring into the Gulf daily. "But the environment is incredibly resilient." Back to the oysters.

I'd always wanted to come here but this was a first. I consider myself a foodie and I'm still hoping for the perfect po' boy I've been dreaming about here in New Orleans before heading out to Clarkston Georgia tomorrow. Working backwards, the Southern Circuit tour I'm on began with what my friends would call a typical "Kim" story...arriving in Atlanta with my anal files in hand that mapquested me on to my first stop in Northern Alabama, within an hour I was lost in a desolate Georgian county on a road that took me a little too long to realize wasn't the interstate. It was when I had to find just the right country radio station that I probably missed that. Or could have been the gorgeous foliage I felt blessed to be getting for the third time this Fall. (In my defense, still jetlagged from having returned from Japan last week). I daydream about Japan. Flashing lights in the rear view mirror. Buzzkill. I have the worst cop karma on the planet. Yup - clocked 64 in a 55 zone. The big hat and shades and fears of a bad Harvey Keitel ending. Chalk it off to Southern hospitality, plain pity, or my own sincerity? - I got off with a verbal warning and detailed directions back to the interstate. I was so so grateful for the gracious welcome. Lesson learned - speed limit no joke here.

Auburn Alabama. I've tried to read up on Section 28 of the recent Alabama immigration law requiring schools to look into birth certificates of its students causing hundreds of immigrants to flee the borders overnight, and about the state challenge to the Justice Department...I wondered about university students here and if there was a sense of activism. One group walking in say the film was assigned to them in their sexuality class...interesting? I ask what students are thinking about it all after the screening at the campus art museum. Pretty much awkward silence. One young woman timidly says they've been discussing it in her political science class. Another man stands up and says as an Alabamian he feels shame. More awkward silence. Turns out he was a transplant professor from up North. Afterwards, over coffee, he, a German professor and another guy tell me they just don't talk about these things here.

Back to Lafayette and land of gumbo. I intro'd the film with how pleased I was to finally be in "Cajun country". Insensitive to some I later learn. I take this opportunity to listen and learn...about the places I am visiting and how the film and what it brings up for people is contextualized in each of these places. So in Lafayette LA, here's what I observed and learned. Much as I, as a northerner, have been seduced by fantasies of endless plates of crawfish, steaming gumbo, melodic Cajun jam sessions, and swamp alligators (all of which delivered without disappointment), a polite, yet firm conversation took place following the screening. Mainly between an older African American woman who identified as Creole, and a french-speaking Cajun woman of same generation. The black woman, who appreciated the film, was prompted to ask why the Lafayette football team's name had been changed to the "cajuns" and how it represented, in her mind, a more recent overreaction to past oppression and reclaiming of that cultural history in LA to the extent of negating Creole and African American contributions and even existence in the region's rich history. The Cajun woman went on to say that it is the "outsiders" who in fact come in and accentuate these labels and identities. My own associations with the region validated this I acknowledge. My takeaway from this was that one of the things I loved most about some of the subjects in my film was in fact their lack of PC consciousness. They say what's on their minds and fess up to what they don't know about the other. People need to risk sounding ignorant in order to simply talk about these issues. And that's what happened in Lafayette Wednesday night. A 30+ minute dialogue between locals about race, "cajun" and "creole" identities, and insensitivities they experience in local settings. This segued into a more universal consensus disproving recent immigration laws passed in neighboring Alabama and an explanation by one man about the local crawfish industry that similarly employs foreign newcomers and the fact that no locals still want to do that work, despite heightened unemployment. In the end it all circles back to my beloved topics - food and music and I ask about fusion? That solicited the best lecture ever on the roots of zydeco music from a resident master along with renewed debate over gumbo (oil trader guy from earlier bar has migrated here). Ice broken, I'm escorted over to Wednesday night jam session at the Blue Moon for a whiskey where local fiddlers and accordions serenade and I take a stab at the two step with a wannabe Cajun fiddler from Alaska.

Sacred Places (Halfway Through) - Stephen Cone for "The Wise Kids"

A bit late to the blog, but, you know, as they say...

I started the Tour without a laptop and spent about half an hour in Atlanta on my first day off changing that. So, here I am, typing this from the Marriott in Chattanooga (on my very first Apple product), where we're screening tonight at the Loose Cannon Gallery. The Chattanooga Film Society has impressed me in a big way with how they've prepped for and promoted the event over the past month or two (I did a radio interview for them 2 weeks prior to the Tour, and another this morning). I'm excited for the screening tonight.

There are a thousand ways I could go with this blog, but I'll just touch on two things:

Up to the tour we'd screened mostly at really wonderful and well-known gay & lesbian film festivals, winning several awards and playing to packed houses. It's been really great, as THE WISE KIDS deals with the private pain and joy that comes with grappling with and accepting one's own sexuality. What you get at themed festivals like those, though, is a very specific (and necessary) type of audience. And for a film that deals not only with sexuality but with faithand doubt and family and identity and growing up, there are more audiences to reach; audiences of a different sort. So, what I've looked forward to and enjoyed very much is playing to those new audiences on this Southern Circuit Tour, a tour that is bringing all sorts of people - southerners, northerners, gay, straight, young, old, Christian, non-Christian, etc. - to the film. From Unitarians to Catholics-turned-Baptists to young straight men and young gay women, I've had the opportunity to engage with folks who are grappling or have grappled with the same issues Brea, Laura, Tim, Austin and Elizabeth are grappling with in the film. These encounters have been so special to me, including a profoundly meaningful late-night discussion with two community college students in Gadsden, AL. How would they have seen this film otherwise, were it not for South Arts?

Secondly, and lastly (for now), I just want to state how inspiring it's been to venture to the cultural institutions hosting these screenings. The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art in Auburn, the Acadiana Center for the Arts in Lafayette, LA, Wallace Hall in Gadsden, AL, the Clarkston Community Center in Clarkston, GA and three more I'll encounter this week. All of these places provide opportunities for people in the south to encounter the sacred, profound, silly, playful, intellectual, emotional and liberating qualities of art and it's expression. As I've walked onto these "sacred grounds" I've been moved by the architecture, the atmosphere, the cultural possibilities, and by the quiet cultural heroes doing their part to make the world a better, richer place. Fitting that I'm taking with me into these buildings a movie about finding holiness.

Lafayette, LA weighs in on crime and incarceration

It was a long drive from Auburn, AL to Lafayette, LA, but there was no better welcome than arriving to my unique accommodations at the lovely downtown Buchanan Lofts (wow! comfort, class and style, with plenty of room to spread out). With just about three hours until “showtime” I am in search of seafood gumbo (if I left Lousiana without having any, I would surely have felt deprived). Luckily, I didn’t have very far to go. My lovely landlady Leah pointed me in the direction of Don’s Seafood and Steakhouse – the perfect combination of old school, good food, and kid friendly! I’m not a food photographer, but wanted you to see a glimpse of my gumbo bowl (yum!), and another shot of my son, enjoying his French fries.

Stomachs full and ready for the night, I walk on over to the Acadiana Center for the Arts – a state of the facility in the middle of downtown Lafayette. I am in the building no more than 5 minutes and, lo and behold, an old college buddy from graduate school is there - Shawne Major! She saw the announcement on Facebook and showed up with her 11 year old daughter, Ruby, to say hello and see the film. What a nice surprise!

Following the screening, only a split second passed before the first hand went up. Gerd Wuestemann, the Center’s Director, told me that ACA audiences always have plenty of questions – this group was no exception. Most people seemed to be acquainted with one another. The exchange was comfortable and lively.

Award winning documentary filmmaker Pat Mire – Founder and Artistic Director of Cinema on the Bayou lauded ‘Concrete, Steel & Paint’ as a very important film that needs to be screened widely for public audiences. Public Defender Rebecca Hudsmith, who is also the Festival Director for Cinema on the Bayou, has a keen interest in restorative justice and extended a hand to support the film's educational outreach. A friend who attended with Pat and Rebecca approached me afterwards: “I’m a crime victim, she’s a public defender, he’s a filmmaker and my partner is a muralist – we were all represented!” The level of excitement and enthusiasm for the film was inspiring.

Pennsylvania (where I’m from) and Louisiana share two similarities regarding their incarceration statistics - they both are included in a list of only six states that have life sentences imposed without the possibility of parole, and are among the top five states with the highest number of people (more than 3,000) serving life without parole sentences.

Louisiana leads the nation in terms of the percent of its prison population serving life without parole, at 10.9 percent. In fact, it was in Louisiana that the practice first took off, and the expansion of life sentences started at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, the nation's largest maximum penitentiary, in the early 1970s, when most people sentenced to life terms were paroled after they had been deemed fit to re-enter society. Everyone in Louisiana has a 2% chance of being locked up.

The facts are troubling and the challenges are great, but change is not impossible and alternatives to punitive justice are increasingly becoming a part of the discussion. Learn more about how Louisiana is working with the VERA Institute of Justice and the Pew Center on the States to develop policy change intended to better manage prison growth, reduce expenditures in corrections and recidivism rates and increase public safety.

I felt I made some great connections in Louisiana with individuals who are interested in these issues and the film's potential to raise awareness about them. I hope we will stay in touch, and keep the conversation going!

ABEL RAISES CAIN in Lafayette, LA

It doesn't seem possible that we've already spent a week on the road. Cypress swamps, anti-evolution billboards and hundred foot tall crosses marked the beginning of our trek to Lafayette from New Orleans.


We expected a large audience at our screening in Lafayette at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, as I had heard that 1000+ people would be attending ArtWalk and circulating throughout the building earlier in the day.


The plan was for my dad and I to go directly to ArtWalk so that we could pass out postcards and help publicize the film to folks as they meandered about. But after a day of driving, and our faster-than-the-speed-of-light trip through New Orleans, we were pooped and wanted to relax a bit before the screening.


So we napped and then had a lovely dinner at Belle's Bistro, just down the street from the arts center. When we arrived at the venue, we were warmly greeted by a bubbly, talented funny young woman and aspiring filmmaker, Crystal Place, our host for the evening.


I always go into screenings with a bit of trepidation. The gnawing question as pre-stage jitters set in, "Will people show up? Are they going to get the humor? Will they fall for the prank at the end of the film?"


I looked around and noticed that the lobby was completely empty, with no sign of the anticipated swarms of people we had hoped to see.


One peek inside the theater and I knew we were in trouble. Only a few seats were occupied. If it had been a smaller venue, it wouldn't have mattered really. But the meager turnout was accentuated by the fact there were a LOT of seats to fill, 300 to be exact! It seemed that the screening of ABEL RAISES CAIN was one of the best kept secrets in the city of Lafayette!


When we were first alerted by South Arts that we had been invited to tour with our film, my dad and I brainstormed the possibility of pulling a prank to help spread the word. But pulling a prank isn't as easy as putting a banana peel on the sidewalk...there is actual planning and pre-production along with recruiting people to help, setting up 'protests,' building a legitimate looking website (a la The Yes Men) and alerting the media. We just didn't have enough time or manpower.


Back in the 70s, my parents 'paid' people with hot cocoa and donuts to stand in line in the cold outside of the movie theater where they were screening their film. It attracted so much attention that they packed the house every night without fail.

But this was forty years ago and modern media consumption in the digital age has totally altered the habits of cinema goers, even those who consider themselves die-hard film junkies.


On with the show, my dad and I had a great time talking with the folks who came and answering their questions. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. And it was by far the coolest space we've ever screened the film. The projection and sound were both excellent. Special thanks to Dennis Thibodeaux, Crystal, and the staff who came to the screening!


While ABEL RAISES CAIN may continue to operate under the radar, we certainly have South Arts to thank for seeing the film's potential and for helping us share my father's life work with new audiences. People are even more overjoyed when my dad comes out from behind the curtain to appear as a surprise guest!

Cambria Matlow Digs Cajun Country

So….Lafayette, Louisiana. If you’re reading this, you just need to go there, shake your head in disbelief at how surprising the town is, how talented its artists, how rooted its traditions and how swingin’ its Cajun and Zydeco music is, and then you need Executive Director of the Acadiana Center for the Arts, German expat Gerd Wuestemann, to take you to the dancehall at Whiskey River, 25 minutes outside of town. I regret to tell the rest of my upcoming tour stops that they are going to have to really step it up if they wish to gain as much affection from me as I have for Lafayette and the surrounding areas. Definitely a showstopper, and this is after spending a day off in New Orleans. Unlike New Orleans, Lafayette is a little-known secret of Louisiana and the residents like to keep it that way, though I am here to blow their cover.

Here’s a sample of some Zydeco music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6U-5FEnomY&feature=related

The Acadiana Center for the Arts is a stunning, newly rebuilt facility with major gallery spaces and a brand new theater. Burning was playing at 8:30pm on the eve of Lafayette’s Art Walk as well as the Arts Center’s Grand Reopening. I heard 1200 people were on the premises throughout the evening, so I had high hopes for our turnout. I think people were pooped though at that point, and the film had a modest turnout of about 20 people. (The Acadiana Film Festival was also playing down the street, which might have affected the audience showing too). For whatever reason, this audience was extremely warm, and the Q & A turned into an intimate affair, mostly involving my riffing on the question: ‘How did the experience of making this film change you?” One would think this would be a question I’d fielded before, but I hadn’t, and it stirred up some emotions in me, and I think too in the audience members. I know it’s a good screening when I sell multiple DVD’s afterward, and this night I sold 3. Afterwards, E.D. Gerd and local artist Shawne Major took me to a classy Spanish restaurant to decompress. Friends Gerd and Shawne entered into a major discussion about Louisiana state arts funding priorities that set off some unexpected nerves between them, but provided me with some real insight into the tough choices that state legislatures, arts funders and artists alike are being forced to make these days under the duress of extreme budget cuts. After that, Shawne and I were ready to explore the Lafayette nightlife a bit more and headed out.

I had my next screening today in Auburn, AL, a 6-hour drive from New Orleans, through hurricane-battered Mississippi gulf towns along I-10 and then straight up through Alabama. Knowing the abundance of country roads all around me, it was hard to press on through the Interstates, but duty called for expediency and an on-time arrival. As I arrived in Auburn the sun was setting and the cumulous clouds were lit up a bright pink color. Soon thereafter, it began to rain. The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art was an elegant structure affiliated with Auburn University (which it seems like most everything is here). After saying hello to Curator of Education Scott Bishop, I was introduced to Liddy Biggs and Matt Williams from the University’s Office of Sustainability, who was co-sponsoring the event. While the film played in yet another stunningly updated theater, I took the opportunity to tour the museum. On permanent display in the Audobon Gallery were several prints from their large Audobon collection. As I’m a big fan, this pleased me. The text accompaniments had obviously been updated to include discussions of current environmental issues affecting Gulf-region birds such as the recent BP oil spill and runoff pollutants from chemical manufacturers along the Mississippi River. About 40 people, many of them AU students, had assembled to watch the film, and for the Q & A I invited Liddy and Matt onto the stage with me, hoping to open up the range of questions I could field. The students were rather timid, but Liddy and Matt were great in providing some additional perspectives on solar and sustainability issues. A quick session of coffee and cookies and I was beat!

Alexandria - Lafayette - Mobile

Alexandria

In Alexandria, I stumbled upon this article in the local newspaper and subsequently made a pit stop in the Alexandria Museum of Art, which, as it happened, was having a retrospective show of paintings by Robert Warrens.

Alexandria-Lafayette (en route to Mobile)
After a very pleasant screening and discussion in Alexandria, I cruised 70 miles south to Lafayette, my hometown. There, I reunited with two old friends in a place known as the "4 Acre Wood", a hideout for raccoons in the middle of Lafayette.

Mobile
Once in Mobile, I sat in a leather recliner at the Crescent Theater where I joined a few late-night moviegoers for an impromptu screening of God's Architects.

The Crescent is a fine example of a new one-screen independent theater. Plans are already in place to return to the Crescent with the cast of my next film Lord Byron, an event which will include a screening and a late-night jam session with the musicians in that film.

After a steady 15 hours of rain, for which Mobile lived up to its title as America's rainiest city (excepting Alaskan and Hawaiian locales), Sunday was about as perfect as it gets: blue skies, brunch with the ever-hospitable Charlie Smoke (of the Mobile Arts Council) at an Irish pub, a well-attended screening, and an aimless wander through a 19th century cemetery where lie the remains of Joe Cain...one of the legendary founders of what we now know of as Mardi Gras. After the screening, I had the chance to talk with some incredibly friendly Mobilians, as well as the Pascagoulian parents of my good friend, photographer Britney Majure. I spent the rest of the evening researching high octane fuel with Gideon (Carson) Kennedy, himself a filmmaker who made a really innovate short film called Clandestine...composed entirely of archival footage and sounds.

A picture of a picture on the exterior wall of one of the research facilities...

Coming soon...Reflections on the Capri Theater in Montgomery, and rocks falling from the sky at Hank Williams' grave.

Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?

The names will be familiar to anyone acquainted with zydeco and cajun music:  

Opelousas; Grand Coteau; Lafayette; Atchafalaya.

Pumping out of the Grand Marquis' speakers: 

Clifton Chenier, Boozoo Chavis, Queen Ida, Buckwheat.

On my way to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.