New Orleans Film Festival returns with virtual lineup
9th November 2020 · 0 Comments
By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer
The 31st annual New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF) will run in a virtual and outdoor format this year, from November 6 through November 22.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the NOFF to pivot from its usual theatrical presentations to a hybrid model of online and outdoor screenings. The festival will showcase over 160 films through NOFF Virtual Cinema, and a selection of films at the NOFF Open-Air Cinema on Lafitte Greenway (between Dorgenois and Tonti Streets) and Broadside, the new outdoor venue of Mid-City’s Broad Theater.
“The shift was incredibly challenging,” said Fallon Young, executive director of the New Orleans Film Society. “We had to re-invent both the way we work, and everything about our presentation format…Another big challenge was that the festival has been so fortunate to have the cash-in-kind support of many local businesses as well, who just weren’t able to contribute at the same level as previous years.”
The NOFF received 4,655 submissions from 105 countries. The festival programmers narrowed those submissions down to 165 films. Movies made in the American South represent 45 percent of the lineup and Louisiana-made films represent 26 percent. Films directed by women and gender non-conforming directors account for 57 percent, and films directed by filmmakers of color stand for 58 percent of the lineup. The festival boasts 36 world premieres.
“Our programming team celebrates work that, in its form and construction, offers a rebuke to conventional means of filmmaking and forges new storytelling pathways,” said Clint Bowie, artistic director for the New Orleans Film Society, in a press release. “Through this year’s lineup, we invite audiences to engage with work that addresses the social and political inequities of our collective past and present.”
Young said that even though the NOFF has made great strides on the diversity front, they still hope to accomplish more in the future. “There is always more work to be done,” Young said. “We’re entering a five-year strategic planning process that centers and operationalizes equity at every level of our organization.”
New Orleans Film Society Programming Manager Zandashe Brown expressed pride over the lineup’s emphasis on films made by Louisiana filmmakers and Southern filmmakers.
“We feel it’s vital to make space for Southern art,” Brown said in a press release. “The South is our home, and we recognize that the American South and South Louisiana more specifically are sites where stories and inspiration have been thoughtlessly mined by outsiders, a harmful, extractive practice that sidelines artists with a greater connection to the region and often results in stereotyping and a lack of authentic representation in the work.”
To spotlight these local films, the NOFF has a Louisiana Features Competition with seven feature films made in the Pelican State. These movies include the documentary, “To Decadence with Love: Thanks for Everything!,” a look at two drag queens preparing for New Orleans’ Southern Decadence. Another notable non-fiction effort is “A Place Called Desire,” a closer look at New Orleans’ Desire neighborhood told through the stories of 60 residents.
Outside of the festival, the New Orleans Film Society works with Southern filmmakers through their Emerging Voices program and Southern Producers Lab, which provide access to industry mentors, grants, and community support.
Last year, the NOFF attracted 30,000 attendees across all events (screenings, panel discussions, workshops, etc.). Attendance at the festival has doubled in the past five years. Young said the NOFF has not done a specific economic impact study, but it employs eight people year-round and provides seasonal work to over 60 others. Typically, they spend about $350,000 with local vendors, hospitality providers, venues and contractors. This year, the festival’s budget was reduced by 30 percent due to the new format.
“This year has presented many sustainability challenges for organizations like New Orleans Film Society (NOFS),” Young said. “I would encourage people who enjoy access to arts and culture to donate when they can to arts organizations like NOFS to help stabilize (them) through this time.”
Young said the NOFF hopes to return to in-person presentations in 2021. The organization is also excited at the potential of a new theatrical venue for the festival with the recently opened Prytania Theatres at Canal Place.
“We deeply miss the ability to present in theaters and gather, and are hopeful that NOFF 2021 can mark a return to normal, but we’re prepared to continue to creatively pivot for the safety of our staff, artists and audiences,” Young said.
For more information about the festival lineup and purchasing tickets, visit the film festival website at www.NewOrleansFilmFestival.org.
This article originally published in the November 9, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
