A&E

Reel Deal

by Mary Tutwiler

Now in its fourth year, the Acadiana Film Festival continues to showcase both out-of-town and local independent filmmakers. Now in its fourth year, the Acadiana Film Festival continues to showcase both out-of-town and local independent filmmakers. Conceived as a film expo and dubbed the International Digital In-Development Expo, the festival has shifted more towards the exchange of ideas, with workshops focusing on cinematography and auditioning for films. "We changed the name," says festival organizer Julie Bordelon, "to better reflect what we were trying to accomplish - to focus on independent films as well as bringing artists and industry professionals together in an atmosphere where they can network. My mother complained that she had just learned how to say iDiDx, it was rolling easily off her tongue, when we changed the name," Bordelon adds with a laugh.

The festival is also designed to bring filmakers from outside Lafayette to experience the community and the culture. "Hopefully, they'll come back here to shoot their next film," says Bordelon.

The festival takes place at a variety of venues. LITE, Cite des Arts, the Acadiana Center for Film and Media and The Office all host screenings, workshops and panels and the festival schedule incorporates Downtown Alive! as a lively element of Lafayette's music culture. Attendant friendly as well, the entire festival is free.

Here are some of the film festival's highlights:

Thursday, November 11

Final Cut Studio For Independent Filmmakers
Presented by: Cinematic Arts Workshop
Thursday, November, 11th, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | LITE, 537 Cajundome Boulevard
This seminar will cover the basics of system configuration and maintenance, workflows used by professional editors, as well as techniques that can help save the professional editor time, and help increase creativity. Ben Balser will also cover workflows for both ingesting and outputting for various media formats.  This will be an intense 3 hours sure to help both intermediate and beginning editors alike. This seminar is free and open to the public on a first come first serve basis.

Friday, November 12

The Role Of The Actor
Friday, November, 12th, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | ACFM, 700 Lee Street
Information on the casting process and how to prepare for auditions presented by Dax Allen, CEO/President of 4-Show.biz. Dax has 10 years of management, operations and business development experience in multiple industries including: financial, web development, graphic design, insurance, importing, Publishing, Casting and Film Production and Digital Media. This workshop is free and open to the public.  Please register online.

Animation Filmmaking Roundtable Diccussion
Friday, November 12th, 2:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. | ACFM, 700 Lee Street
Special guest, Max Howard, who created and ran studios for Disney in London, Paris, Orlando and Los Angeles, working on some of Disney's most memorable films, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. As president of Warner Bros Feature Animation, he oversaw such hit movies as The Iron Giant and Space Jam. At DreamWorks, he was co-executive producer for Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron. He is currently president of Exodus Film Group, specializing in the production of independent animated feature films. Also speaking is, Marty Altman, who's credits include the feature films Mulan and Lilo and Stitch as well as the Pooh's Hunny Hunt attraction for Tokyo Disneyland while Technical Director at Walt Disney Feature Animation and the Superman Returns game while Technical Art Director at Electronic Arts. This event is free and open to the public on a first come first serve basis.

Horror Night:
Friday, November, 12th, 9:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. | Cite Des Arts, 109 Vine Street
Wick (17 mins)
Nightmarish visions plague a young woman who cannot remember trauma inflicted by her past. Will these monsters reveal the truth or destroy her fragile mind?
AM1200 (39 mins)
A man hears a radio broadcast that may or may not be a distress call lures him to an isolated transmitting station and into a terrifying mystery of murder, madness and the insatiable hunger of a power beyond his comprehension.
Night Of The Punks (19 mins)
Small town punk rockers "The Brain Deads" have their first out of town gig. But there are a few problems: The venue is deserted, the promoter is a total creep, their bass player has gone missing and the only kids in the audience are blood thirsty demons from hell. It's going to take a lot more than a few power chords and teenage angst to survive this night.
Zone Of The Dead (2012: Apocalypse of the Dead) (96 mins) with special guest, Ken Foree (Dawn Of The Dead)
When a biochemical toxin infects a small industrial town in Serbia, Interpol agents who have to transport a prisoner across that area have no choice but to join forces with a dangerous criminal if they want to survive.
This event is free and open to the public on a first come first serve basis.

Saturday, November 13

Ballhawks (74 mins)
Saturday, November, 13th, 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. | LITE, 537 Cajundome Boulevard
Ballhawks is the story of a group of men who have been chasing baseballs and dreams just outside the ivy-covered walls of Wrigley Field, the the last ninety years. This screening is free and open to the public on a first come first serve basis.

The Business Of Screenwriting Roundtable Discussion
Saturday, November 13th, 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. | ACFM, 700 Lee Street
Led by Tony Chassion along side, Producer/Writer, Eric Miller. Miller has logged over twenty years in the movie business, specializing in Independent film in the U.S. and in many foreign countries. His scripts "The Shadow Men", "Ice Spiders", "Night Skies", and "Maskerade" have been made into feature films. This event is free and open to the public on a first come first serve basis.

Sunday, November 14

Feed The Fish (92 mins)
Sunday, November, 14th, 11:30 a.m. - 1:05 p.m. | LITE, 537 Cajundome Boulevard
Joe Peterson, is a burned-out kids book writer who's approaching his mid-life crisis. With his career at a standstill and his relationship in shambles, he leaves town with his best buddy to do the Polar Bear Plunge in the dead of winter in northern Wisconsin in an attempt to reignite his fire. On his quest he meets: Axel, an inspirational mentor; The Sheriff, an obsessed law enforcement professional; and Sif, his muse and a hockey player. Good thing they're all related! Joe finds his lost passion, survives an assault by his obsessed ex-girlfriend, and tries to stay out of the way of the law. He pulls it together and finally gets the girl, and thank goodness, publishes again. But not before testing the icy waters of Lake Michigan on a snowy winter day. This screening is free and open to the public on a first come first serve basis.

For the complete schedule, go to the Acadiana Film Festival website.