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The 21st Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival Will Be Held Jan. 21-28, 2026

Cite audience with Pat

The 21st Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival will be held on Wednesday, January 21, 2026 through Wednesday, January 28, 2026, in Lafayette and Opelousas, Louisiana. The eight-day international juried film festival will screen nearly 150 films, including narrative and documentary features, and narrative, documentary, experimental and animated shorts, from across the United States and around the world. Filmmakers and film professionals will be in attendance from across the globe.

A complete schedule of film screenings and events will be posted in December, along with information on how to purchase all-access passes, day passes and individual tickets.

The 20th Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival Was a Huge Success!

cotb 2025 poster

Following a Brief and Historical Snow Delay, Cinema on the Bayou 2025 Continued With Determined Filmmaker Friends Who Made Their Way to Lafayette, Despite the Weather, from L.A., New York City, Austin, New Orleans, Shreveport and across the United States, as well as Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Quebec City and Moncton, Canada, and Berlin, Germany, and Paris, France

The historical 2025 snow storm resulted in a one-day delay in the start of the 20th Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival, an annual eight-day juried international film festival. Despite the weather, filmmakers made their way to Lafayette to attend the Festival from across the U.S., including L.A., New York City, Austin, New Orleans and Shreveport, and Canada, including Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Quebec City and Moncton, as well as from Paris, France and Berline, Gernmany. A few of our visitors had to spend the night in the Atlanta airport and a few others had to rent cars to get to Lafayette timely.

Cinema on the Bayou 2025 Award Winners

The Festival Awards Ceremony was held on Sunday, Jan. 26th at 8:30 pm at Cite des Arts. Winners are:

Best Narrative Feature: Hotel Silence / Canada / Dir. Lea Pool

Narrative Feature Special Jury Award: Home Free / Canada / Avi Ronn Federgreen (in attendance)

Best Documentary Feature: Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story / Canada / Dirs. Michael Mabbott, Lucah Rosenberg-Lee.

Documentary Feature Special Jury Award: Mar Moussa / France / Dir. Justine Aurelia Malle (in attendance)

Best Narrative Short: A toi les oreilles / Canada / Dir. Alexandre Isabelle

Narrative Short Special Jury Award: I'm Not A Robot / Netherlands / Dir. Victoria Warmerdam

Narrative Short Special Jury Award: This Is Jan / U.S.A. - Louisiana / Dir. Robert Larriviere (in attendance)

Narrative Short Special Jury Award: Brotherly / Canada / Dir. Gavin Seal (in attendance)

Narraive Short Special Jury Award: Cannes Affair / Germany / Dir. Robin Czerny (in attendance)

Best Documentary Short: Jan Beauboeuf: The Creative Spirit / U.S.A. - Louisiana / Dir. Graham Holt.

Documentary Short Special Jury Award: Mataperra / Canada / Dir. Rachel Trudeau

Best Animated Short: Maybe Elephants / Canada / Dir. Torill Kove

Animated Short Special Jury Award: Le Charade / U.S.A. / Dir. Erika Totoro

Best Experimental Short: Somber Tides / Canada / Dir. Chantal Caron

Experimental Short Special Jury Award: Torii / Germany / Dir. Martin Gerigk

Inspiration Award: Gorgeous Journey / U.S.A. - Louisiana / Dir. Jamie Ward

Best Louisiana Film: Across the Quiet / U.S.A. - Louisiana / Dirs. Syd Horn, Olivia Luz Perillo

Le Train Bleu Award: Paris Lost & Found / France / Dir. Kartik Singh (in attendance)

Director's Choice Award: Ababooned / Canada / Dir. Marc-Andre Forcier (in attendance)

Audience Award: To Be Announced

See information on this year's festival judges at : https://cinemaonthebayou2025.eventive.org/cinemaonthebayou2025.eventive.org

Cinema on the Bayou 2025 Reschedules Opening Night Film to Closing Night

The U.S. Premiere of POINTE NOIRE has been moved to Wednesday, January 29th at St. Landry Cinemas in Opelousas. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m., and the film will screen at 7:00 p.m. The film screening will be followed by an Opening Night Reception at Cite des Arts in Downtown Lafayette.

POINTE NOIRE, which was shot throughout the Acadiana area, stars Roy Dupuis and Myriam Cyr and features Micheal Bienvenu and Zachary Richard. It tells the story of filmmaker and crawfisherman Louis Leger (Roy Dupuis) and criminal defense attorney Dolores Arceneaux (Myriam Cyr), who join forces in the Cajun prairie community of Pointe Noire in an effort to save the life of Joel Richard (Michael Bienvenu), a falsely accused man on Louisiana's Death Row. What follows is a search to find out what really happened 30 years ago when two people were killed on the night of the traditional courir de Mardi Gras. Along the way, Louis and Dolores uncover a hauntingly beautiful, isolated community suffering from secrecy and deceit, yet ultimately striving to achieve its own form of folk justice.

As director Pat Mire explains: While I have dedicated most of my long filmmaking career to revealing Cajun culture to the world by way of documentary films, I have longed to return to the experience of working with actors, once again, in a narrative setting. During the COVID lockdown, my partner, Rebecca Hudsmith, and I committed to writing a screenplay that combined our two lives and loves -- my Cajun culture and her work as a criminal defense lawyer representing people on Death Row. The result is "Pointe Noire," a story very much based in the realities of both of our worlds.

Closing Night tickets for POINTE NOIRE are $20.00 and can be purchased at the SCHEDULE button, above. For more information on the films at: https://cinemaonthebayou2025.eventive.org/schedule

All-Access passes can be purchased at: https://cinemaonthebayou2025.eventive.org/passes/buy

20th CINEMA ON THE BAYOU FILM FESTIVAL – OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

NARRATIVE FEATURES

Ababooned / Canada / Dir. André Forcier

Bonjour Switzerland / Switzerland / Dir. Peter Luisi

Home Free / Canada / Dir. Avi Ronn Federgreen

Hotel Silence / Canada / Dir. Léa Pool

Mysterious Behaviors / U.S.A.-Louisiana / Dir. Elijah Gwen Alfred and 17 additional directors

Paris Lost & Found / France / Dir. Kartik Singh

Pointe Noire / U.S.A.-Louisiana / Dir. Pat Mire

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

After the Odyssey / Canada / Dir. Helen Doyle

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story / Canada / Dirs. Michael Mabbott, Lucah Rosenberg-Lee

The Battle of Saint-Leonard / Canada / Dir. Félix Rose

City of Hate: Dallas and the Assassination, 60 Years Later / U.S.A. / Dir. Quin Mathews

Dirty Dogs / U.S.A.-Louisiana / Dir. Tye Turner

Le Peuple Lezard / Canada / Dir. Julien Robichaud

Mar Moussa / France / Dir. Justine Aurelia Malle

A Mother Apart / Canada / Dir. Laurie Townshend

Wasted - Overtourism and the French Quarter / U.S.A.-Louisiana / Dir. Laura Cayouette

CINEMA ON THE BAYOU CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY

"A Reel Good Time." -- Garden and Gun Magazine

"Among Top 15 Winter Film Festivals in the U.S. " -- AudNews Magazine

Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival will celebrate its tenth anniversary in a big way this coming year, presenting more than 100 films from around the world, including U.S., Louisiana and World premieres, at the annual five-day film festival beginning on Wednesday, January 21, 2015, through Sunday, January 25, 2015.

Over the last ten years, Cinema on the Bayou has built an international reputation as a filmmaker-friendly destination with large, enthusiastic crowds, and great food, music and fun.

Unique among film festivals in the United States, Cinema on the Bayou presents a wide range of French language films through partnerships with the National Film Board of Canada, the Office of the French Consul General in New Orleans, the French Embassy Office of Cultural Services in New York City, Montréal-based film distribution company, Vidéographe, and Withoutabox, the premier international film festival submission service.

In addition to the film screenings, the Festival will present workshops, expert panels, live music performances and social events at the following venues: Acadiana Center for the Arts, Vermilionville, Celebrity Theater Broussard, the Lafayette Parish South Regional Branch Library, and Pack and Paddle.

Over 100 filmmakers and actors are expected to attend from around the world, including from Toronto, Montréal, Moncton, Brazil, Paris, New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Austin, Nashville, London, Chicago, Shreveport and New Orleans.

A complete schedule of events will be posted in early January.

CINEMA ON THE BAYOU AS DESCRIBED BY OUR VISITING FILMMMAKERS

"One of the best weekends of my life. Thank you so much for letting the orphan brigade be a part of this amazing festival. Your hospitality, vibe, and true soul are an inspiration. From Joshua Britt, James DeMain and I, we send our absolute thanks your way."

-- Neilson Hubbard, Nashville, Tennessee / The Orphas Brigade: Sountrack to a Ghost Story / World Premiere / Documentary Feature Special Jury Mention Award

"Thank you so much for everything!!!!!!!! Long live to cinema on the bayou!"

-- Maxime-Claude L'Écuyer / Montréal, Québec / Zsofika / U.S. Premiere / Narrative Short Special Jury Mention Award

"Great festival run by super awesome folks. I'd almost say we ate too much gumbo, but no . . . there is never enough gumbo!"

-- Jay Pennington / Jacksonville, Florida / Ocean Pond / Louisiana Premiere / Audience Award

"Just a little word to tell you how much David and I enjoyed the festival. Its been a feast of movies: tapas, starters, entrees and deserts. You really fed us well. You are responsible for bringing a community together and for this too, I thank you. I'm still floating on a cloud."

-- Christian Fleury, Montréal, Québec / Everybody Wants To Be A Cajun / World Premiere / Documentary Short Special Jury Mention Award

"Cinema on the Bayou was the nicest festival I ever went to. Warm and cheerful! There is no better place than Louisiana for a first award!"

Éléonore Goldberg, Montréal / Québec / Errance (Wandering) / U.S. Premiere / Animated Short Special Jury Mention Award Winner

CINEMA ON THE BAYOU LISTED AS ONE OF THE TOP 15 WINTER FESTIVALS IN THE U.S.

Cinema On The Bayou has been named one of the Top 15 Winter Film Festivals in the U.S. by AudNews, an on-line news magazine for filmmakers and film lovers. We are listed among such festivals as the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The listing also includes festivals from Oklahoma, Montana, Oregon, Texas, Arizona, Colorado and Massachusetts. We are proud to represent Louisiana and Lafayette among that number! Check out all the listings at AudNews.

CINEMA ON THE BAYOU FILM FESTIVAL NAMED EDITORS' CHOICE BY GARDEN AND GUN MAGAZINE

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