Rob Reiner, Woody Harrelson, Jessica Biel, Julie Dash, Ella Brennan — the 27th undertaking of the New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF) definitely has star power.
“This year things really came together, says Jolene Pinder, executive director of the New Orleans Film Society (NOFS). “We’ve had a really good year connecting with films that have been shot or are shooting here.”
The festival will open this year with a screening of “LBJ” at the Orpheum Theater on Wednesday, Oct. 12, after which Reiner will be presented with a Career Achievement award from NOFS by the film’s star, Woody Harrelson.
“LBJ was shot here and both he and Woody happen to be here again shooting Reiner’s second film in the area in the last 18 months, ‘Shock and Awe,’” Pinder says.
The nine-day festival will also include the world premiere gala screening of “Ella Brennan: Commanding the Table,” directed by the Academy Award® and Emmy® nominated Leslie Iwerks and narrated by actress and New Orleans native, Patricia Clarkson, which tells the story of the legendary New Orleans restaurateur.
“Ella Brennan is such a strong business woman and was such a force in the industry long before the current trend of the celebrity chef,” Pinder adds. “We’re so excited to be hosting the world premiere of this film.”
Following the screening, All-Access Pass holders will have a chance to taste the cuisine featured in the film at a private party in a Garden District home catered by Commander’s Palace, SoBou and Café Adelaide & The Swizzle Stick Bar.
Jessica Biel will also be in attendance at the NOFF this year. Biel stars in a new film called “The Book of Love” alongside Jason Sudeikis, Mary Steenburgen, Paul Reiser, Orlando Jones and New Orleans native Bryan Batt.
The final big highlight of this year’s festivities will close the festival on Thursday, Oct. 20 — a special 25th Anniversary showing of the recently re-mastered historic feature, “Daughters of the Dust,” the first feature film directed by an African-American woman to receive a general theatrical release in the United States. The film was written, directed and produced by Julie Dash, who will also receive a Career Achievement award this year from NOFS.
The festival itself is quickly claiming star status among filmmakers, with Pinder reporting a 15 percent increase in submissions this year. “Next year we’ll be expecting a really big bump as we hopefully become an Oscar qualifier in two more categories — animated short and live action short.”
“We consider ourselves a discovery festival,” she adds. “I’m excited to say that 45 percent of this year’s lineup was directed by women and about 36 percent were filmed by people of color.”
Pinder says she sees the significant uptick in Louisiana films the NOFF saw this year as a symbol of the strength of the indigenous film community. “We are seeing more and more filmmakers coming here to tell their stories,” she adds.
The NOFF also changed their criteria this year regarding what makes a local film. “We used to just require that the director, writer or producer was from Louisiana, but now we have three categories and the film has to meet two of the three. The other two categories are that 75 percent of the film was shot in Louisiana and that 75 percent of the cast and crew are from here.”
Attendance for NOFF typically ranges from 20,000 to 25,000. “We’re examining the financial impact of the festival more this year,” she says. “We bring in about 400 filmmakers alone.” The festival is also making a concerted effort to focus the spotlight on New Orleans’ booming downtown.
“We have chosen the new Ace Hotel as the festival headquarters and box office and, for example, we’ll be using the giant IMAX screen at the Aquarium as one of our screening locations, along with the newly renovated Orpheum” Pinder says. “We’re all about showcasing the revitalization of our downtown area.”
Kimberley Singletary is the managing editor of Biz New Orleans magazine. A 20-year Southern California veteran, she has been surrounded by the film industry for most of her life.
