“Little Chenier” Movie Is All That Remains
Posted on September 27, 2007
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Little Chenier, the movie co-written, directed, and produced by Lake Charles native Bethany Ashton Wolf (pictured), is getting buzz after winning the Best Picture and Best Ensemble Acting awards at the 2007 Phoenix Film Festival. Popular movie blogs FilmStew and Cinematical both ran articles on it this week, highlighting the fact that the movie is all that remains of the town of Little Chenier, Louisiana, which was destroyed by Hurricane Rita after filming was completed. Little Chenier will screen in New Orleans, New York, and other cities beginning in December as part of its limited release.
Wolf’s brother Jace Johnson, also a native of Lake Charles, co-wrote and co-produced Little Chenier, and appears on-screen as the character Chute.
Film Threat Selects “Mercy”
Posted on September 26, 2007
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Film Threat, the independent film webzine created by Chris Gore, is responsible for programming the Horror, Sci Fi, and Fantasy lineup for the Hollywood Film Festival. As previously mentioned, they decided to close out the 2007 program with Patrick Roddy’s Mercy. Click here to see their coverage of Mercy and the rest of the selections that will be screening in Los Angeles next month.
AnE Vibe Chats with Patrick Roddy and Gary Shannon
Posted on September 22, 2007
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A Q&A with filmmaker Patrick Roddy and lead actor Gary Shannon about Mercy at AnE Vibe.
“It wasn’t my intent to make a scary film,” explains Roddy. “The initial idea was for a noir. As I wrote the script, it became an art film with surreal elements. It seemed like a nightmare and that’s what I tried to conceive once we started shooting.” Link.
Mercy: From One LA To The Other
Posted on September 17, 2007
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Hollywood, CA – ArchImage Studio, LLC and Amateur Productions, LLC in association with the Lake Area Film Group are pleased to announce that its 2006 feature length film MERCY has been invited to the 2007 Hollywood Film Festival, October 17-22 at the ArcLight Cinemas on Sunset Boulevard. The Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards were created in 2000 to bridge the gap between Hollywood and the global creative community, while at the same time honoring the established Hollywood professionals.
This year, HFF announced an alliance with Film Threat, who brings their knowledge of genre films to the selection process. “We are honored to have Chris Gore and Film Threat joining us, so that we can recognize the great film contribution of genre filmmakers to the past, present and future of cinema by showcasing their work at the Hollywood Film Festival,” festival founder Carlos de Abreu said.
“Film festivals have always been very supportive of alternative and fringe indies. Unfortunately, genre films of the sci-fi, fantasy and horror genre often get left out of festival programs. How will we discover the next Peter Jackson if festivals do not support young filmmakers who create fantastic visions? Teaming with Carlos de Abreu and the Hollywood Film Festival will be a great way to showcase the best new work from indie genre filmmakers. I am ecstatic that Film Threat is involved in the selection process and is helping get this next generation of filmmakers much needed exposure,” said Film Threat founder, Chris Gore.
Mercy, the four-time Accolade Award of Excellence winner, was shot on a micro-budget in Lake Charles, LA under the production of writer and director, Patrick Roddy. A year after its release, the film continues to gain appeal. The Hollywood Film Festival follows a list of screenings that includes New York City, Santiago, Chile, and Ontario, Canada amongst others. “A Los Angeles screening is an excellent opportunity to garner even more momentum heading into the DVD release on Unearthed Films,†says co-producer, Scott Waldrop. “All of the major media outlets cover the festival, not to mention the 25,000 movie goers who are expected to attend the event.â€
In addition to the film screenings, HFF is honoring actor Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Gone Baby Gone), screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Atonement), director Brad Bird (Ratatouille) and visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar (Transformers) for their respective work in 2007.
Cynthia Hill’s “The Guestworker”
Posted on September 13, 2007
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The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers continues in Lake Charles on October 13 with the screening of The Guestworker by Cynthia Hill. As usual, the screening is scheduled for 7:00 pm at the Central School Arts & Humanities Center (809 Kirby Street). After the screening there will be a Q&A session with Cynthia Hill about the film and her work as a filmmaker, followed by a reception.
Once a producer and editor for health education media in New York City, Cynthia Hill moved to Durham, North Carolina to develop her career as an independent filmmaker. The challenges faced by farmers and the community caught Hill’s eye as she filmed her first documentary, Tobacco Money Feeds My Family. Having grown up in a tobacco farming community, Hill brought a grounded perspective to her film. Her unique perspective and her subject’s relevance has carried her documentary The Guestworker around the world to screen at numerous festivals, including the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival, Full Frame International Documentary Film Festival, and the Globians Film Festival.
The Guestworker is a thought-provoking testament to the efficacy of the US government’s H-2A Certification for Temporary Agricultural Work Program. Hill features the perspective of both the farmers who turn to the contract employment program because of local labor shortages and the Mexican migrant workers who travel to the US to perform the backbreaking labor. The documentary focuses on the program’s oldest member, Don Candelario Gonzalez Moreno, a 66-year old Mexican farmer who has spent the last 40 years of his life harvesting crops. While the H-2A Certification guarantees safe passage into the US for ‘Don Cande,’ who in the past had to immigrate illegally, he still has no hope of citizenship due to his age; yet, ‘Don Cande’ returns year after year to work and provide for his family in Mexico.
The opening short for October 13 is the documentary Bowl Digger by Kristy Higby of Alexander, North Carolina. Bowl Digger is the loving story of octogenarians Maxie and Hilton Eades, rural South Carolinians who create wooden bowls and dough trays as durable as their creators.
Times of Southwest Louisiana
Posted on September 11, 2007
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The September 6 issue of The Times of Southwest Louisiana includes coverage of the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. On page 21, in the Overture to the Cultural Season section, there is a write-up on the tour and a schedule of the films and shorts that will be screening in Lake Charles between September 2007 and April 2008. Pick up a copy for yourself, or click the thumbnail to the left to see the article.
Southern Circuit Tour: Eric Patrick
Posted on September 10, 2007
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Left to right: Devin Norris, Eric Patrick, Julie Fay, and Carol Anne Gayle
Ritual Etchings: The Experimental Shorts of Eric Patrick screened Saturday night at the Central School Arts & Humanities Center in Lake Charles as part of the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. Here’s what guest filmmaker Eric Patrick had to say about it on the Southern Circuit blog:
- “The show though, was great. Beautiful place, great people. The woman from the Art and Humanities council drove 60 miles round trip to bring me shrimp gumbo and boudin (knowing I was from here). They sang happy birthday to me, and all was great. The local film group (that co-sponsored the show) was inspired. The Lake Area Film Group are a rag-tag group of filmmakers trying to make something happen in a town where there isn’t an awful lot going on. They’re very gutsy filmmakers and remind me of early Cinemaker Cooperative in Austin.”
Click here for more photos from the event (including one of Eric Patrick eating shrimp gumbo).
Lake Area Film Group Characters
Posted on September 3, 2007
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The trouble with screenwriters is that everything and everyONE can become script fodder. And even if you don’t make it into your screenwriting buddy’s script don’t think they haven’t thought about putting you in there.
Thus I would like to introduce any newcomers to some of our LAFG members through a screenwriter’s eyes…
Scott:Â The “Kevin Smith” character… A self-proclaimed “rounder”, his character says more with one word than some say in 120 script pages.
Vic: A smarmy character from afar…he’s the voice over commenting on the local LAFG antics all the way from Houston, Texas.
Patrick: The surrealist of the group, his character never shows up in human form. Most often portrayed as a mysterious fog or artistic cinematographer’s shadow. Say’s “aaargh” a lot.
Carol Ann: Actress, Set Designer, Costumes, Craft Services, Mary Poppins character. She’s the one who carries the ‘itty ‘bitty purse and pulls out the exact tool for the job when other character’s are in a jam.
Cherie: Those adorable big blue eyes, she’s a walking, talking version of a kick a&* Anime’ babe.
Justin: Always knows where the villain’s headed, what he’s after, and what he plans on doing next. He’s on the good guy’s team, but you wonder why he knows so much about the criminal mind.
Chris from the L.C.: Our illustrious webmaster, the Merlin of your screenplay. Wherever he shows up in your script, so does an entire internet special effects team.
Corey: A cross between Homer Simpson, a brain eating zombie and Einstein. ‘Nuf said.
Devin: The silent character that watches all the other characters in your script until Act III when he busts out some serious ninja moves.
Ken: A screenwriter himself, he’s the one already plotting a sequel (and revenge) to this blog post.
If you’re interested in meeting all of these non-fictional characters yourself…join us at the Central Library the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm!
Recently
- Red 71 Cast and Crew Premier
- Jay Craven’s “Disappearances”
- AFF: Corey’s Take
- AFF: Ken’s Take
- Spotlight On: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle
- Red 71
- “Mercy” Premiere in Boston
- “Little Chenier” Movie Is All That Remains
- Film Threat Selects “Mercy”
- AnE Vibe Chats with Patrick Roddy and Gary Shannon
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