On the big screen at the 2014 La. International Film Festival

Returning for a sequel, the Louisiana International Film Festival (LIFF) kicks off this month, with all the action, screenings, parties and workshops centered on Perkins Rowe. In our April cover story on the ongoing film industry boom in Baton Rouge, LIFF cofounder and executive director Chesley Heymsfield told us the overall goal is turning Louisiana into a new hub for the film industry that can “last for decades and influence the world.”

That’s already happening, as a March report from the non-profit Film L.A. showed Louisiana topped California in 2013 for the number of major studio shoots—18 films shot primarily in the state, versus 15 in California. Louisiana also came in second, after Canada, in production industry jobs—creating 13,690 jobs to Canada’s 14,170.

Keeping the momentum going, this year’s film festival is set for May 8-11. Go to lifilmfest.org for an updated schedule and ticket information, and check out some of the big films slated for screening at right.

God’s Pocket
Starring the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a small-town low-level thief, with Christina Hendricks and John Turturro.

Elsa & Fred
A romance starring Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer, set in New Orleans.

The Double
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, who plays a character confronted with his own doppelganger.

A Thousand Times Goodnight
Starring Juliette Binoche as a war photographer trying to balance her work and personal life.

Venus in Fur
A French drama from director Roman Polanski.

The Devil’s Violinist
A biographical drama about the Italian violinist Niccol Paganini. This screening will include a Q&A with director Bernard Rose.