Musiques, Le Film
This short doc is the most recent work of director/writer Cory St. Ewart, who received his BFA from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In this 20-minute piece, six Louisianan musicians, including Bruce Sunpie Barnes, Leyla McCalla, and Louis Michot, and musical ensembles, including Sweet Crude, explain why they made the choice to perpetuate the centuries-long tradition of performing in French and Creole.
Piano Players
A reboot of the late Stevenson Palfi’s 1982 documentary, “Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together,” this documentary feature is centered around a proposed concert performance by three musical legends, Professor Longhair, Allen Toussaint and Isidore “Tuts” Washington. In 2022, Polly Waring, Palfi’s widow, commissioned producer/editor Robert F. Landau to digitally restore the original film. In addition, she gave him access to a three-hour “lost” interview with Professor Longhair as well as most of Stevenson’s raw footage. Those assets, as well as a plethora of historical footage and photographs, were employed to add thirty minutes of new material and create a feature length version of the original shorter doc, under the new title, “Piano Players.” Eighty four minutes of must-see footage for fans of these three New Orleans musicians.
Shouter/Rocker
Filmed in New Orleans and at the Whitney Plantation, this 22-min short doc introduces viewers to two spiritual traditions, the Ring Shout and the Easter Rock. The Ring Shout originated in the Gullah Geechee communities of the coastal southeast, blending African and Christian practices. The Easter Rock also blends African and Christian spiritual traditions as practiced in the Delta region of Louisiana and Mississippi. Prior to the filmed meeting of these two groups in 2024, and the recording of their dances and songs for the Library of Congress, practitioners of these traditions were unfamiliar with each other.
Sinners
Released in theaters earlier this year, portions of this feature-length narrative were filmed in and around New Orleans. Set in 1932, Mississippi, Sinners was written, directed, and produced by Ryan Coogler of “Black Panther” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” fame. It’s a genre-defying Southern Gothic-supernatural horror film. The story follows identical twin World War I veterans Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore (both played by Michael B. Jordan) who return home after years of working in Chicago.
“Sinners” will be presented in 70mm, allowing the audience to experience the film in its fullest, most immersive cinematic format. The screening will feature a special intro and Q&A with executive producer Will Greenfield.
BONUS POINTS to the OZilians who can identify our Tuesday New Orleans Music Show host Cole Williams, who appears as an extra in this film!
T. Osborne
This short doc, directed by Olive Wheadon, gives us a brief glimpse into the life and art of New Orleanian artist, Terrance Osborne. He’s extraordinary New Orleanian artist who paints vibrant scenes of the city and whose work includes a number of Jazzfest/Congo Square posters. This film follows his raw passion and deep love for his city, his family, and his wife, immersing viewers in Osborne's unique and colorful vision.
What We Can Know About Edmond and Basile
Basile Barès and Edmond Dédé were Creoles of Color – Dédé a free man, Barès born into enslavement. Both wrote and performed operas and concert pieces popular with black and white audiences, challenging the notion that classical music has been an exclusively white domain. Yet, since their lifetime, their compositions have not been performed, and some have never been presented to the public. New Orleans musicians are now resurrecting their works. Ensemble OperaCréole with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra are now staging Dédé’s long lost opera, and pianist Oscar Rossignoli is presenting a concert of Barès’ dances. This feature length piece, directed by Sascha Just, documents the path to these premieres as a springboard into a search for the composers’ extraordinary lives and Creole culture.
