September 21, 2011
For Immediate Release:
SWAMP hosts an October 2 appearance by legendary independent filmmaker Glen Pitre with workshop and 25th anniversary screening of BELIZAIRE THE CAJUN, a triumph of independent filmmaking!
Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP), Houston’s oldest media arts organization, presents a unique opportunity for filmmakers and film lovers alike—a workshop and film screening with veteran Louisiana filmmakers Glen Pitre and Michelle Benoit on Sunday, October 2. Noted film critic Roger Ebert calls Pitre “the Father of Cajun Cinema” and “a legendary American regional director.”
Twenty-five years ago, what started out as a totally homegrown production grew into an indie film phenomenon and darling of critics. Now, BELIZAIRE THE CAJUN, the cinema classic that introduced much of the world to Cajuns and Cajun culture, is back with the Texas premiere of the restored version to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The road to national acclaim began in 1983 when SWAMP nominated BELIZAIRE to take part in Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute Lab; out of 450 nominees, BELIZAIRE was one of five feature projects selected. Financing was raised independently through local Louisiana investors in addition to a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts under the umbrella of SWAMP.
The Sunday, October 2 events represent a reunion between Pitre and SWAMP and a triumphant story of locally-produced, regionally-oriented filmmaking that many filmmakers can identify with. Please come out to support the filmmakers and SWAMP. Without your support, local organizations like SWAMP that support independent filmmaking couldn’t exist!
EVENT LOCATION: Rice Media Center located at Entrance 8 of Rice University on the corner of University Blvd. and Stockton. Neighborhood street parking or paid (credit card) visitor parking on campus is available.
SCHEDULE:
1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Workshop: How to Survive as an Independent Filmmaker
Award-winning filmmakers, guerilla movie-making veterans, and indie scene icons Glen Pitre and Michelle Benoit will present their steps for making a living out of telling both fiction and non-fiction stories for the screen… without leaving your home town!
4 p.m. Screening: BELIZAIRE THE CAJUN, introduced by Glen Pitre and Michelle Benoit
Synopsis: A romantic adventure set in 1859 Louisiana, BELIZAIRE THE CAJUN takes place on the antebellum Louisiana frontier where a wily herb doctor (the title character played by Armand Assante) must save his cousin’s life, defeat murderous vigilantes, win a woman’s heart, rescue an orphan’s inheritance and escape the gallows.
6 p.m. – 9 p.m.: After Party at the Ragin Cajun, 4302 Richmond Ave., Houston, 77027
The festivities continue in the restaurant’s Crawfish Room. As sponsors of this event, Ragin Cajun is offering free gumbo or red beans and rice upon presentation of a film ticket, with additional drink specials. A percentage of the evening’s proceeds will be donated to SWAMP.
COST:
Workshop fee (includes screening) = $30
Tickets to screening only = $10
Registration for the Workshop and Screening Tickets can be purchased HERE or by contacting SWAMP Phone: 713-522-8592 x2 / Email: swamp@swamp.org, or at the door.
ABOUT SWAMP:
Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP) is a 34-year-old nonprofit media arts organization. SWAMP brings artists and audiences together through a variety of programs which include professional development workshops, the annual Business of Film conference, digital filmmaking classes for youth, a Media Literacy Institute for educators, filmmaker screenings, and THE TERRITORY, the longest running showcase series of independent film on public television in the country, now in its 34th season (www.theterritory.tv).
SWAMP evolved from programs originally organized at St. Thomas University and later at Rice University Media Center in the early 1970s through the vision of the internationally acclaimed filmmaker and educator James Blue. Houston philanthropist John de Menil lent initial financial support to the program that became an independent nonprofit organization in 1977. Today SWAMP is supported in part by grants from The Houston Endowment, The City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Texas Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Houston Film Commission and many other individuals and contributing organizations.
BIO: GLEN PITRE
Born in Cut Off, Louisiana, Glen Pitre worked his way through Harvard by fishing shrimp each summer. After graduating with honors he returned to Cut Off to found Côte Blanche Productions. By age 25, American Film magazine dubbed him “father of the Cajun cinema” as his low-budget, French dialect “gumbo westerns” broke house records in bayou country theaters. With the help of the Sundance Institute, his internationally-lauded 1986 BELIZAIRE THE CAJUN became his first English-language production. Since then Pitre’s works in a variety of media, frequently in collaboration with wife Michelle Benoit, often about life in his native Louisiana wetlands, have earned him numerous awards, including an honorary doctorate and a knighthood from France. In 2006, America’s most famous film critic, Roger Ebert, acclaimed Pitre “a legendary American regional director.”
BIO: MICHELLE BENOIT
A Scots-Irish-Cajun from the southwestern Louisiana prairies, Benoit earned degrees from the American University in Paris, France and the University of New Orleans. She has written, produced and directed films, documentaries, books, articles, museum exhibits and videos often in conjunction with her writing partner and husband Glen Pitre. Most recently she was Artist-In-Residence at the University of New Orleans, teaching screenwriting and film directing in the MFA Film Program.
STILLS:
Still images from the film are available by contacting swamp@swamp.org
