Whitney Bank Film Festival at French Quarter Festival presented by Cinema on the Bayou

WHITNEY BANK FILM FESTIVAL AT FRENCH QUARTER FESTIVAL presented by Cinema on the Bayou Film Society Le Petite Theatre du Vieux Carre, 616 St. Peter – Free Admission

Friday, April 7, 2017 11:00 am Dew Drop (2015) - directors Palmer Morse and Rachel Weinberg - 15 min. Q&A with directors following screening.

The Dew Drop Inn, established in 1945, was once the most popular and significant heritage spot for African American traditions of R&B, blues, and jazz in New Orleans, including musicians such as Deacon John, featured in the film. Nearly five decades later, owner Kenneth Jackson struggles to renovate and open the doors again for a new generation.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/144828880 12:00 noon I am the Blues (2016) – director Daniel Cross – 106 min.

I AM THE BLUES takes the audience on a musical journey through the swamps of the Louisiana bayous, the juke joints of the Mississippi delta, and the moonshine-soaked BBQ’s in the North Mississippi Hill country, visiting the last original blue devils, many in their 80’s, still living in the deep south, working without management and touring the Chitlin’ Circuit.

The film features Bobby Rush, Barbara Lynn, Henry Gray, Carol Fran, Little Freddie King, Lazy Lester, Bilbo Walker, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, RL Boyce, LC Ulmer, and Lil’ Buck Sinegal.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/145293516

2:45 pm Coals to Newcastle: The New Mastersounds from Leeds to New Orleans (2011) – directors Marca Hagenstand and Aaron Dunsay – 78 min. – Q&A with directors following screening.

England’s finest funk jazz band journeys from Leeds to the birthplace of funk for 3 performances that coincide with the 2007 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Unsure about bringing sand to the beach (or “Coals to Newcastle” as they say in Britain), The New Mastersounds try bringing their brand of funk to New Orleans.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8mm5XFJEdk

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Saturday, April 8, 2017 11am Brother David (2016) – director Ronnie Clifton - 44 min - Q&A with director following screening.

This lovingly made and intimate film is about famed Louisiana songwriter guru David Egan, who died in March of 2016 after a long battle with cancer. It documents “Brother David” and his friends creating music magic at the famed Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana during a 2011 recording session, including Buddy Flett and Lil’ Buck Sinegal.

12:45pm

By The River of Babylon: An Elegy for South Louisiana (2015) – director Don Howard - 57 min - Q&A with director Don Howard and producer Jim Shelton following screening.

BY THE RIVER OF BABYLON documents the little-known and unprecedented man-made challenges to South Louisiana’s wetlands and its unique musical culture. The film features the music of Nathan Abshire, Clifton Chenier and Beau Jocque and performances by Cedric Watson and Corey Ledet, Don Rich and Jeffery Broussard.

3:00pm Sushi and Sauce Piquante: The Life and Music of Gerry McGee (2016) – director Pat Mire - 84 min. - Q&A with director following screening.

SUSHI AND SAUCE PIQUANTE tells the story of guitar legend Gerry McGee, an American Master borne of an American Master, famed Cajun fiddler Dennis McGee. Gerry is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as lead guitarist for The Ventures and has played with Delaney and Bonnie, John Mayall, Rita Coolidge, Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, Roseanne Cash, Elvis and so many other influential musicians to earn his place in the history of rock and roll. The film features the music of Gerry McGee and also features interviews with Kris Kristofferson, Dr. John, Edward James Olmos and Don Wilson.

Trailer: https://player.vimeo.com/video/72613939

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Sunday, April 9, 2017 11:00 am The Abita Mystery House (2016) – director Jessy Cale Williams - 22 mins. - Q&A with director following screening.

This documentary takes an intimate look into a unique small town roadside attraction in Louisiana and the people who work there.

12 noon Songs of Souls (2012) – director Ronnie Clifton - 69 min - Q&A with director following screening.

Inspired by the folklore of Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter singing his way out of two prisons, SONGS OF SOULS asks four Louisiana songwriters and musicians featured in the film -- Michael Juan Nunez, Eric Adcock, Roddie Romero and David Egan -- what they would perform to get out of the gates of hell or into the gates of heaven.

Filmed entirely on location in Louisiana – including inside Angola Prison – SONGS OF SOULS also explores why the state is the incarceration capital of the world.

2:00 pm By and By: New Orleans Gospel at the Crossroads (2015) - directors Joe Compton and Matthew T. Bowden - 96 min. - followed by an a cappella performance by the Electrifying Crown Seekers

BY AND BY tells the story of a fading tradition, a torn community, and a family bound to keep them both alive.

At the center of the film is a powerful New Orleans gospel quartet, the Electrifying Crown Seekers, a group USA Today calls "the essence of the Jazz Fest . . . more explosive than any rock headliner."

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/90876397

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