The Abita Springs International Film Festival

WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY HEIDI HEYNS

This was the inaugural year…The very first ASIFF, but you wouldn’t have guessed it if you were there witnessing the smooth flow of the organization and the film screening and panel schedule. Everything was organized and if it were not seamless for the organizers, it certainly appeared so to the guests and film lovers who attended.

The Abita International Film Festival has a TEAM of Directors led by this year’s Inaugural Festival Director, Sheridan Philipp, the originator of the initial idea for this particular festival. Less than 8 months ago, Sheridan reached out to Evette Randolph, with a question about scheduling a Film Festival in Abita. The timing couldn’t have been better. Evette had just been thinking about how great it would be to have a film festival in Abita and she had even done some of the leg work to see what would need to happen in order to make the idea a reality. She had, in effect, softened the soil and, it appears, spread some sort of Miracle Gro special dust onto the Abita ground, for like magic, the pieces began to fall into place.

Evette, who dreamed of being a Rockette, and of winning an Oscar one day, but life unfurled differently than planned, as it does. These life challenges have forged Evette’s acting talent as well as her event production and coordination magic.

A salutation of film lovers stepped into the Festival Director positions. Jessica Montalvo, is the Latina spark to the flame. Jessica’s enchanting power and passion is filmmaking and she has two degrees in film to show for it. In her life, Ms. Montalvo always maintains a filmmaker’s eye for story and expression and is deeply involved in K-12 education. She works with students in fashioning stories/film projects, helping young children and teens to expand into who they are meant to be…their best selves. All the while Jessica's focus expands her own contribution and skills, both in front of the camera and behind, to growing the filmmaking community on the North Shore.

Bob Krieger adds a Dad Joke humorist presence and is the self-described “oldest and ugliest” addition to the Abita International Film Fest team. Bob’s dad was a TV reporter and Bob’s passion in film was ignited during the times he went to work with his father and was immersed in all the behind-the-scenes action. After years in the military, Bob was led to teaching, which fired him up. Like his fellow board members, Bob is a film fanatic, fascinated with the power of story.

Bob also emphasized the importance of the different ways for the local community to support independent filmmakers. Of course, money is the obvious contribution, but other ways can be extremely helpful! For instance, Locations! Ideas! Stories of your own! If you know of a location or a special someone that can contribute to the making of film or the telling of a story, Bob urges you to reach out to the filmmaking community. We must do everything we can to support these efforts. One spark, one warm flame of an idea can inspire our young people to burn bright with the stories inside them! Make it your mission to find the myriad of ways you can support the making of films on the north shore.

Last but certainly not least, the one and only filmmaker, actress and former professional touring ballroom dancer, Fiona McQuinn who brings, among other wonderful contributions, her passion for writing an experience that creates an emotional connection with the audience or maybe inspires a shared sense of empathy for the character going through whatever it is that they’re going through. Fiona shared that it was through ballroom dance that she was introduced to film. She’s been absolutely hooked ever since. For Fiona, the whole process of storytelling on film is pure magic!

And, Talk about magic! In less than a year, this team manifested a dream first time film fest with a tremendous and ambitious three day slate of back-to-back film screenings and a panel of film professionals to discuss the work, the industry and the life of a professional, working in the film industry in Louisiana. They regaled us with their stories of their work and answered numerous questions from the audience of film-o-philes and aspiring filmmakers/actors/screenwriters.

I was honored and humbled to have had the privilege of behind-the-scenes access that I was generously granted. I was able to learn about the organizers and their individual history and background and got to meet several of the filmmakers. I had the privilege of speaking with documentary filmmaker, Royd Anderson about his film covering the Rault Center Fire. This was the fire in which five women, trapped in a beauty salon high in the building, leapt to their deaths to escape the flames. This tragic outcome led to the legislation requiring sprinkler systems in high rise buildings. Another result of this fire was the invention of those lifesaving large pillows that people can now jump into from high rises.

Fascinating, the power of film.

Speaking with “Best of the Fest” Winner, Rachel Jacob… an exciting creative was lovely highlight. Rachel is disarmingly humble and kind. Her film entry in this fest spoke to the taboo subject of miscarriage. The film was a passion project for Rachel, which sparked her imagination when she realized how many women suffer miscarriage. And yet, openly discussing it is considered taboo, which only hinders healing in the one out of every two women who suffer this outcome to a pregnancy.

Being swept up into storytelling is always a gift and this gift appeared frequently, wrapped up in the ribbons and bows of digital celluloid.

This is even more compelling when it’s international films that show us sides of other cultures for which we may otherwise have no frame of reference.

One of the winners of the festival, a beautiful and poignant film from Iran, in particular that comes to mind. I remember commenting to a fellow film fan that the film shone a light on the compassion and caring of the Iranian people for those who struggle with recovery from drugs and alcohol. We have no frame of reference for this, so this film created a look inside a culture that is so different from ours… and so much the same, as it turns out. Magic. Once more.

It was a wonderful experience from the very first moment to the very last, bathed in the rays of a telling and gorgeous Abita Springs sunset that bid a fitting farewell to this successful inaugural film festival. Submissions came in from every corner of the World including Iran, which had several beautiful submissions accepted. Others came across the sea from China, France and from Venezuela.

Screening this array of independent films, for this scribe, and I would venture to guess, for many others. From the Festival website: “Our goal is to provide local, national, and international films a platform to express that unique artistic voice that showcases the wonder and exuberance of the world or simply tells a story about the human experience.” One film that perfectly encapsulates the latter sentiment in this mission was the Entree that won Best Documentary Short, a movie called Fringe Fallen. This is the eye-opening, story that gave us the surprising cultural insight I mentioned previously.

Award Winners

Best Documentary Short

Milad Khaleghimanesh - “Fringe Fallen” (Iran)

Best Documentary Feature

Derek Bridges - “The Man in the Red Beret” (Louisiana)

Best Narrative Short

Hosein Torkjoosh - “Naji” (Iran)

Best Narrative Feature

Chris Veade - “Castigation” (Louisiana)

Best Louisiana Film

Will LaCalle - “Andrew After Angola”

Best Experimental Film

Nima Valibeigi - “Zero Coordinates” (Iran)

Best Screenplay

Hunter McGregor - “Remember” (Louisiana)

Best Cinematography

Maryam Rahimi - “Gladiators” (Iran)

Best Director

Onur Yagiz - “Fatih the Conqueror” (France)

Best Actress

Rachel Jacob - “Four on the Mantle” (Louisiana)

Best Actor

Kieran Roberts - “Four on the Mantle” (Louisiana)

The Healing Waters Award (The Best of The Fest Award)

Rachel Jacob - “Four on the Mantle” (Actor & Director)