CRESCENT CINEMA SERIES

Indigenous short films screening

WHEN: Saturday, March 22, 2025
TIME: 3PM-5PM
WHERE: 
COST: Free & Open to the Public!

This is part of our CRESCENT CINEMA SERIES, presented by NOVAC and supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

This event features short films featuring Indigenous topics and storytellers from across Louisiana. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers:

FILMS Screened:

* “ISHAK” Directed by Maaliyah Papillion, Co-Directed by Mo Grizzly 
* “Hoktiwe: Two Poems in Ishakkoy” Directed by Jeffery Darensbourg
* “Once Upon A Time In New Orleans: Sacred Rhythms” Directed by Julie Holman
* “Ekbah” Directed by Mariah Hernandez-Fitch
* “Keepers of the Mound” Directed by Katie Matthews 
* “Preserving Our Place: Knowledge is Power” Directed by Jeremey Lavoi and Abby Berendt Lavoi
* “White Alligator” United Houma Nation Summer Camp x NOVAC

South Bodies: Short Films That Explore Body Diversity

WHEN: Wednesday, November 20, 2024
TIME: 6:00PM
WHERE: Zeitgeist Theatre | 6621 St. Claude Ave. | Arabi | 70032
COST: Free & Open to the Public!

 Presented in collaboration with Film New Orleans and The COOL Cooperative!

We have curated a block of short films that explore body diversity throughout the Gulf South. From all sizes to differently abled, this screening event will uplift stories showcasing the beauty and nuance in body diversity.

FILMS Screened:

BODIES LIKE OCEANS As a manatee floats weightlessly in spring water, artist Shoog McDaniel enters the landscape to transport us into a realm where fat, queer, and trans people love their bodies in wet, rocky, forested, and undisturbed natural settings – freely and fully. Directed by KC Cory, featuring Shoog McDaniel

BREAKING SILENCE is a verité portrait of Walker and Leslie Estes, a deaf father and CODA daughter from Baton Rouge, LA, who work together upon Leslie’s release from prison – driven by their shared experiences of incarceration and deafness —to help others in their community affected by the prison system. It is an intimate exploration into parenthood, regret, and, ultimately, healing. Directed by Amy Bench and Annie Silverstein 

MANBOOBS features an overweight preteen who goes to a pool party and tries to hide his ManBooBs. Directed by Luke Harris, Produced by Jeremy Blum, The COOL Cooperative, NOVAC 

THANK YOU NECK is a coming of age drama that follows the journey of a young designer Sophie after she receives a cancer diagnosis. Directed by Marion Forbes.

MEMORIES is a short narrative about a brother and a sister dealing with the dynamics of an aging mother. Directed by Tristin Raquel and Danielle Boone.

Music Video Showcase

WHEN: Wednesday, March 20, 2024
TIME: 6:00PM-8:00PM
WHERE: Gallier Hall | 545 St Charles Ave | New Orleans | 70130
COST: Free & Open to the Public!

Curated screening block of music videos followed by Q&A panel with filmmakers. Selected from NOVAC state-wide Open Call submissions.

Drinks and Light Snacks offered following Q&A.

Music Videos Screened:

* “Cenizas” by Lucy Vives, Directed by Ricardo Betancourt
* “Jordan Poole” by Aybil, Directed by Devarian Menyweather
* “Quiet as a Mouse” by Kate Kelly, Directed by Virginia Walcott
* “The 20’s” by Koan Kenpachi, Directed by Gabriel Velasco
* “Work Out” by Big Chief Juan, Glen David Andrews, Golden Comanche Black Masking Tribe, Directed by Lemar Arceneaux
* “CONTIGO” by DELO, Directed by Alaa Esmail (Allen)
* “Howling” by She Her Sir, Directed by Daviel Shy
* “Beautiful Way” by Cyrille Aimee, Directed by Melissa Cripe
* “Like a Lamb” by FOLEY, Directed by Fernando MacFarlane
* “Turn of the Screw” by Brother Dege & The Brethren, Directed by Logan LeBlanc
* “Stay with Me” by Kiana Tenille, Directed by Jet Dupont
* “Better than Ever” by Video Age, Directed by Leo Rauf, Cinematography / Produced by Samuel Aguirre-Kelly

A Night of Short Horror Films from Louisiana Filmmakers

WHEN: Thursday, October 26, 2023
TIME: 6:00PM-9:00PM
WHERE: Gallier Hall | 545 St Charles Ave | New Orleans | 70130
COST: Free & Open to the Public!

This Halloween season we hosted a night of spooky homegrown tales. The event was highlighted by seven horror films from six New Orleans-based filmmakers. We also enjoyed some treats and some free drinks courtesy of our partners at Film New Orleans who opened up the doors to the lovely Gallier Hall for this first edition of our Indie Cinema NOLA screening series.

Films Screened:

* The Way Station, directed by Jason Affolder
* Uncle, directed by Trenton Mynatt and Mary McDade
* Despondent, directed by Narjes Abbas
* Cabin in the Canes, directed by Cory St Ewart
* For The Night, directed by Langston Williams, produced by Carl Harrison Jr
* Shadow of a Silhouette, directed by Jason Affolder