20 short films filmed and produced in Lafayette as part of KINOMADA will be featured in a public premiere on November 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in partnership with the Southern Screen Festival.
KINOMADA Lafayette 2018 is a short film creation laboratory and is happening for the first time in the United States thanks to local support from the Louisiana Office of Tourism, Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, La Fondation Louisiane, Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, Le Centre International, Lafayette High School, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Southern Screen Festival and the CREATE initiative.
KINOMADA brings together more than 50 experienced and up-and-coming filmmakers from Louisiana, the Caribbean, the United States, Mexico, Quebec, Acadia and France, and challenges them to make 20 short films in just 10 days. Participants also take part in an exchange of culture, knowledge and skills for the benefit of the production of the short films on a theme that pays tribute to Louisiana’s multicultural identity: “At the crossroads of the world.”
“Lafayette has recently seen a surge in filmmakers producing their works locally and I’m excited to add the KINOMADA participants and professionals to that list. Through CREATE, we continue to diversify the local economy by collaborating with established global organizations,” stated Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux who launched the CREATE cultural economy initiative in 2017. “Lafayette benefits by leveraging every opportunity to train and develop our film industry workforce in the parish.” The KINOMADA filmmaking laboratory makes filmmaking education more accessible to help define pathways to quality jobs and exposes Lafayette’s creative workforce to the organization’s vast network of international filmmakers. As a Francophone organization, KINOMADA also offers an opportunity to strengthen relationships with international partners through language and film Robideaux said.
For a week and a half, participants attend training sessions conducted by professionals in the field while completing films through comprehensive hands-on applications of writing, filming and editing. In conjunction with the kickoff of the Southern Screen Festival on November 7, KINOMADA closes with the public premiere of the films produced during the 10 days. The films are then distributed to worldwide film festivals. So far, KINOMADA filmmaking labs have created 490 movies that have been written, directed, filmed, played and edited by 1,030 participants of more than 30 nationalities from more than 19 KINOMADA Lab events in 13 countries around the world.
To purchase passes to the KINOMADA Lafayette 2018 premier or learn more aboutSouthern Screen Festival visit https://southernscreen.org/.
