Perkins Rowe is transforming into Sunset Boulevard once again for this year’s Louisiana International Film Festival.
Under the massive chandelier outside the Cinemark, actors, producers, directors, screenwriters and pros from the production crew will mingle with movie lovers as the Louisiana Film Society spins the reels.
This year’s theme, “Save the Swamp,” brings global-scale environmental ideas to a Southern audience during a schedule packed with Southern voices.
“What’s amazing is that this year we saw a 50% increase in the number of Louisiana-submitted films,” LIFF executive director Chesley Heymsfield says. “We’re proud to showcase local talent and encourage all Louisiana filmmakers to continue to tell their stories.”
Like previous years, the festival will feature screenings, panels, lectures and workshops, as well as live music and nightly after-parties, so come prepared for a full day of mingling with festivalgoers and filmmakers.
Even if you’re not into mingling, the films will keep your brain and your heart busy—this year’s lineup encompasses everything from Southern stories on the bayou to sports legends to surviving suicide and the AIDS crisis.
5 REASONS TO GO
1. Catch the opening night feature of Ethan Hawke’s 2018 flick Blaze, much of which was shot near Baton Rouge. Actor Ben Dickey, who plays the film’s titular character, Blaze Foley, will be in attendance.
2. Participate in mentorship workshops, with topics ranging from casting to writing a web series to making a documentary to the role of women in the film industry.
3. Take in the debut screening of 100 Year Flood, a documentary directed by Lauren Durr chronicling Louisiana’s 2016 flood and our community’s struggle to stay afloat.
4. Head to the Filmmaker’s Lounge, which transforms a space across from Bin 77 with lavish decor, art and photo exhibits and live music. Open all day every day of the festival.
5. See the screening of Cut Off, a psychological thriller set in the tiny town of the same name along Bayou Lafourche. Starring New Orleans-based talent, it captures a part of the state rarely explored in cinema.
THE BASICS
Louisiana International Film Festival
April 19-22
Cinemark at Perkins Rowe
Ticketed
lifilmfest.org
Read more about other festivals going on this month.
This article was originally published in the April 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.
