Local Filmmakers are Passionate About Making Movies in Lafayette
In the movie world, the term “summer blockbuster” means a successful feature film with a big budget and promise of an escape from the summer heat. Most of these movies are made on a Los Angeles set or filmed in Atlanta or New Orleans if they get anywhere close to home. But Lafayette filmmakers want to get Acadiana on the movie map and prove their stories are worth sharing — even if they have small budgets.
Filmmaker Cory St. Ewart graduated from Columbia University after getting his bachelor’s degree in digital and new media art from UL Lafayette. His short film, “Evangeline,” which premiered at Southern Screen Festival last November, is finishing its film festival tour and will be available by the end of the year. Filmed in St. Martin Parish over three days during his summer break, the film depicts a young Cajun girl in 1940s Louisiana who forms a bond with a rougarou to defy her father.
St. Ewart says he chose Columbia’s top-ranked film program to see if he could start telling Louisiana stories closer to what you see on the Sundance channel or in the indie film scene. He describes Lafayette’s film scene as “small but passionate.”
His plan after graduation is to be tricoastal, with a base in New York, one in Los Angeles and a third in Louisiana. “The best way to connect Louisiana to the world is to be in the room,” he says. “We have to maximize that opportunity and build avenues that amplify voices from here.”
Talented theater teacher Monique Morton Derouselle is preparing to turn her short film “The Candy Lady” into a feature-length production. She filmed at a private home in Lafayette over spring break last year and plans to release her short on YouTube to gauge interest before looking for investors and talent. “It’s not about how many people watch it but the right people,” she says.
“The Candy Lady” tells the story of a woman in the Black community who sells snacks to kids out of her house. Her day goes awry when she awakens a magical typewriter that brings her short stories to life. Derouselle describes it as “Jumanji” meets “Friday.”
No matter what happens, she’s intent on keeping her film in Louisiana. “There’s so much great talent here, and Louisiana plays a character in the film also, so it needs to be shot locally,” she says.
“The Cramps: A Period Piece” has a summer premiere planned in Lafayette. Filmmaker Brooke H. Cellars wrote the full-length script while healing from a hysterectomy. The film was shot in Franklin and New Iberia last June. Cellars describes it as “sweet horror” and compares it to “The Blob,” which was filmed in Abbeville in the late 1980s.
A graduate of UL’s Moving Image Arts program, Cellars says she always thought she would have to move away to make movies. “I never really thought I would be able to make a film in Louisiana. I mostly try to make my own movies because I’m always trying to make opportunities happen instead of waiting for somebody else to make a movie.”
All of these filmmakers speak to Lafayette’s collaborative nature and the desire to help others in the local industry succeed. “I’m hoping we can be the people who affect the change to show there is good art in this area,” adds Derouselle.
Movies to See
“Evangeline”
by Cory St. Ewart
“The Candy Lady”
by Monique Morton Derouselle
“The Cramps: A Period Piece”
by Brooke H. Cellars
“Heritage”
by Chasah & Charliese West
“Spooky Crew”
by Donny & Erin Broussard
“Pointe Noire”
by Pat Mire
“Footwork”
by Drake LeBlanc
