Local filmmakers Conni Castille and Allison Bohl, whose award-winning documentary shorts I Always Do My Collars First and Raised on Rice and Gravy explored some of Acadiana's unique daily rituals, will premiere their latest film, King Crawfish, tonight at the Bayou Bijou Theatre. The admission-free event, hosted by the UL Cinematic Arts Workshop, gets underway at 7 p.m. and will also feature a presentation by National Geographic explorer John Bowermaster, who will preview his soon-to-be-released documentary, SoLa: Louisiana Water Stories.
“The Cinematic Arts Workshop was conceived to support projects precisely like these,” says Charles E. Richard, the workshop’s director. “The work by Castille and Bohl exemplifies the core principles of this institution, which are about artful films focusing on local themes.”
“We’re also extremely excited to host Jon Bowermaster’s newest work,” Richard continues. “Renown for his films about the waters of the world, it seems most fitting to pair his latest work on South Louisiana waters with King Crawfish.”
Both documentaries touch on the very timely issue of Louisiana's delicate balance between its oil and gas and seafood industries. King Crawfish juxtaposes the joyous abandon of the Cajuns at the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival with the water and land rights battles between private land owners and the Atchafalaya Basin crawfishermen. “I think one of the layers in the film is about carrying on tradition,” says writer and director Castille. “What we find is the continuation of the festival tradition looking very promising. But, the traditional fishing practices in the Basin, not so much.”
The Bayou Bijou Theater is located in the UL Lafayette Student Union, 600 McKinley St. For more information, call (337) 277-5292, or e-mail
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