On the Cover: The Homegrown Cinema of Hollywood South

The Homegrown Cinema of Hollywood South

Cover artwork by Burton Durand

By Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

Thirty-nine years of Southern storytelling in these pages has produced celebrations and explorations of this region’s extraordinary landscape in terms of visual arts, performing arts, cultural eccentricities, culinary wonders, opportunities for adventure, scientific discoveries, and re-examinations of history. One facet of the Gulf South that has been largely left to the margins of our cultural coverage has been its significant place in the world of filmmaking. Recognizing the embarrassment of stories just waiting to be told about Louisiana and Mississippi’s place in the national film industry, we’ve decided this year to dedicate an entire issue to the subject—and still feel as though we’ve only scratched the surface. Introducing our inaugural Country Roads Film Issue is an original work by Burton Durand—a vintage film poster-inspired tableau capturing the co-existent joie de vivre and strangeness of Louisiana’s culture that so tantalizingly attracts the camera. Inside, meet one of the industry’s most hired bad guys (the one who made Spider-Man, Spider-Man), get the scoop on this year’s most exciting Southern documentaries and the address for the new film accessories store in Gretna, and mark your calendars for the annual Southern Screen Festival in Lafayette later this month. So read on, then sit back and watch the remarkable artistry emerging from our home, celebrated on the silver screen.