Vermilionville welcomes the whole community for their free monthly cultural film series, Les Vues, held the last Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in their Performance Center. The free film series is curated by filmmakers and enthusiasts, mostly from around the state. The films will center around the curator’s interest and can range from features, documentaries, student film, shorts, animation, etc. Following the screenings will be an open discussion between the audience and the curator about the movie and how it applies on a local level.
For the Jan. 25, screening, New Orleans documentarian Rebecca Snedeker will be showing her film, “By Invitation Only.” In this film, New Orleans filmmaker Rebecca Snedeker explores the insular world of the elite, white Carnival societies and debutante balls of Mardi Gras. Questioning their racial exclusivity, she takes an unprecedented insider’s look at the pageantry and asks: “What does it mean to be the queen of the masked men?” As she examines our own place in an alluring tradition, Snedeker challenges viewers to reflect on the roles we all play in our own lives. This film is ideal for courses in gender studies, sociology, anthropology, American studies, multicultural studies, southern history and psychology.
Rebecca Snedeker is an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker and writer whose work supports human rights, creative expression and her native city, New Orleans. Her New Day Films, “By Invitation Only” and “Land of Opportunity” rupture clichés about life in the South. Snedeker recently co-authored “Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas,” a book of 22 imaginative maps and accompanying essays, with Rebecca Salnit. Snedeker serves on the board of Video Veracity (a fiscal agent for independent media projects) and is an active member of New Day Films. Formerly, she served on the boards of the New Orleans Film Society and Patois: The New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival. Snedeker received her B.A. in Fine Arts from Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
The Les Vues Film Series screens “By Invitation Only” on Monday, Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Vermilionville’s Performance Center, located at 300 Fisher Road in Lafayette. Admission to Les Vues is free, but a suggested $5 donation will go toward screening and curating costs. To find out more about upcoming films, view trailers or for more details visit Vermilionville.org or call (337) 233-4077.