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The 15th Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival, an annual international juried Film Festival, will be held on January 22-29, 2020, at venues in and around Lafayette, Louisiana.  Come join us for the screening of nearly 200 independent films, along with the filmmakers who make them, from across the United States and around the world.  The World, U.S. and Louisiana Premieres will include narrative and documentary features, and narrative, documentary, animated and experiemental shorts.  All-Access Passes can be purchased through Eventbrite at:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/15th-cinema-on-the-bayou-film-festival-tickets-77756057461.  Individual tickets, day-passes and tickets for the opening and closing night films and receptions will go on sale in December.  A description of all films and a complete schedule of film screenings and events will be post on our web site in early January, 2020.  See you in January!!!

Photo courtesy of Shannon Murray, star of RAG DOLL, which won a Best Narrative Feature Award at COTB 2019 along with Ms. Murray's Best Actor Award.

Lafayette, LA, February 3, 2019.  After 8 days and over 180 films screened, including 41 feature-length narrative fiction and documentary films and 140 short films, among them narrative, documentary, animated and experimental films, the 2019 Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival announces its "goujon caille" award winners.  The films and filmmakers listed below represent the best of international independent cinema, and we are proud to have shared them with our audiences in Acadiana and to support them as they continue on their creative journeys.  Notably, two of our narrative short award winners – Marguerite (Best Narrative Short Award) and Fauve (Narrative Short Special Jury Award), both out of Québec – are nominated for an Oscar in this year’s Short Film (Live Action) category.  Also, of the 25 award-winning films, 13 were directed by women.

"Once again, we made new friends and greeted old friends, some of the best storytellers I know," said Pat Mire, the Festival's Founder and Artstic Director.  "I am proud to know and give support to these artists, and I am also proud that Cinema on the Bayou provides such a nurturing environment for their continued development."  

2019 CINEMA ON THE BAYOU FILM FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS

Narrative Feature Winners

Special Jury – Two Pictures / Seattle, U.S.A. – Director and Writer: Eric Stone, Producer: Nate Stone (both in attendance)

Special Jury - Palace / Indiana, U.S.A. – Director, Writer and Producer:  Andrew Paul Davis (in attendance)

Best - Ailleurs (Elsewhere) / Québec, Canada – Director: Samuel Matteau

Best - Rag Doll - Los Angeles, USA – Director:  Bailey Kobe, Producers: Shannon Murray (and lead actor), Kate Sloate (all in attendance)

Narrative Short Winners

Special Jury - Madina, IA / U.S.A., Lebanon – Director: Yumna Marwan (in attendance)

Special Jury - Duck Duck Goose / Nova Scotia, Canada – Director:  Shelley Thompson

Special Jury - First Disco / Ireland – Director, Writer and Producer:  Helen M. O Reilly

Special Jury - Novela  Picaresca / Japan – Director Kenji Qurata, Producer and Lead Actor: Takashi Yuki (in attendance)

Special Jury – Fauve / Montréal, Canada – Director and Writer:  Jérémy Comte 

Special Jury - Ange & Ovni (Angel & Alien) / Québec, Canada – Director and Writer:  Sandrine Béchade (in attendance)

Best – Marguerite / Montréal, Canada – Director and Writer:  Marianne Farley

Best Actor

Shannon Murray (in attendance) for Rag Doll / Los Angeles, U.S.A.

Documentary Feature

Special Jury - New York Scherzo / U.S.A./France – Director and Producer:  Shaan Couture (in attendance)

Special Jury - Thank You For Supporting The Arts / Portland, U.S.A. – Directors: Carolann Stoney and W. Alexander Jones (in attendance along with subject Liv Osthus)

Best - And Those Who Dance It Surrender Their Hearts To Each Other / Los Angeles, U.S.A. – Director:  Cody Edison (in attendance)

Documentary Shorts

Special Jury - La Frontière (The Frontier) / Québec, Canada – Director, Writer and Producer: Félix Lamarche (in attendance)

Special Jury - L'île (The Island) / Québec, Canada – Director and Writer:  Alexandra Guité (in attendance)

Best - Dans la Cour de Vivianne Gauthier (In the Heart of Vivianne Gauthier) / Québec, Canada,Haiti – Director:  Marie-Claude Fournier (in attendance)

Animated Shorts

Special Jury - The Prodigal / Thailand – Director and Writer:  Tod Polson, Producers Tod Polson and Brett Boesch (in attendance) 

Best - My Yiddish Papi / Montréal, Canada – Director and Writer:  Éléonore Goldberg

Experimental Shorts - The Robert Russet Award

Best - Mise au Monde (Carrying One) / Québec, Canada – Director, Writer and Producer:  Maryse Goudreau (in attendance)

Le Train Bleu

Black Indians / France – Directors and Writers:  Jo Beranger, Hugues Poulain and Edith Patrouilleau (in attendance)

Inspiration

La Veille (The Visit) / New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. – Director and Writer:  Marshall Woodworth (in attendance)

Audience

Cajun and Creole: Black and White / Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.A. – Director and Writer:  Chantelle Trahan, Producers:  Chantelle Trahan, Horace Trahan (both in attendance)

Director's Choice

Finding Cajun / Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.A. – Director and Writer:  Nathan Rabalais, Producers:  David and Nathan Rabalais (both in attendance) 

French director Shaan Couture holds her "goujon caiile" on the bayou.