2020 New Orleans Film Festival

Louisiana Shorts 3: Sidewalk Side

Expired November 23, 2020 5:59 AM
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7 films in package
Princess Stephaney
When the world shuts down to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, New Orleans’ premier drag queen is left without a bar to tend and no one to entertain. With nothing but time on her hands and unpaid bills piling up, Princess Stephaney reckons with her age, her solitude and an uncertain future for her life in the Crescent City.
Closed captions available
A Williams Family Morning
A window into one single laid back morning with the late Mr. James Williams Sr. and family. The long established New Orleans gospel group, The Crownseekers, rehearses for the 2014 Jazz Fest while sharing a little of themselves and some laughs with one another. One acoustic guitar, five beautiful voices, and a few priceless perspectives on life and gospel music.
Jose
Isolated from his former community, without steady work and his physical health on the line, we’re alongside Jose as he struggles against a rising climate of hate and still fights–– in his own way–– for freedom.
The Only Thing Left To Do Is Start
Sam Langberg began training for the ironman triathlon 4 months before the COVID-19 pandemic would turn his typical day as an ER doctor on its head. Even though his race was canceled two months into the New Orleans quarantine, he decided to embark on the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run – solo. This documentary short follows Sam’s day long journey, shifting through his memories of struggles in the hospital, and ultimately, showing his ability to endure.
are our mothers
"I asked Ebony what she needed to say. She said, “I hold the answers to a lot of questions people have about struggle and life and the pursuit of happiness. It won’t take me having a child for me to use my mothering intuition. I am everyone’s mother and I’m everyone’s daughter and this is what it is.” are our mothers is a film about the cycles of motherhood.
Distant Mardi Gras
Distant Mardi Gras blends excerpts from Super 8 interviews shot during Mardi Gras 2020, with the visuals becoming progressively surreal, dreamlike and bizarre in the same way our lives have been pushed into an unrecognizable world by the pandemic, but also leaving viewers with a hopeful message that we will overcome this coronavirus and celebrate in the streets again.
Closed captions available
QA: Shorts - "Sidewalk Side"

It’s crucial to know how to communicate your whereabouts during carnival season in New Orleans. At a parade, you’re either standing on the neutral ground (the median) or the sidewalk side. This NOLA-centric block features six films embracing the intricacies of our great city and its people, all comfortably positioned on the sidewalk side. Featuring DISTANT MARDI GRAS, PRINCESS STEPHANEY, THE ONLY THING LEFT TO DO, ARE OUR MOTHERS, JOSE, and A WILLIAMS FAMILY MORNING.


Runtime: 71 minutes


On February 25, 2020, over a million people packed the streets of New Orleans to celebrate the 163rd Mardi Gras Day. Exactly two weeks later, a coronavirus outbreak forced Mayor Latoya Cantrell to cancel all public events and put the entire city on lockdown. New Orleans has yet to fully reopen. Distant Mardi Gras blends excerpts from Super 8 interviews shot during Mardi Gras, with the visuals becoming progressively surreal, dreamlike and bizarre in the same way our lives have been pushed into an unrecognizable world by the pandemic, but also leaving viewers with a hopeful message that we will overcome this coronavirus and celebrate in the streets again.

  • Year
    2020
  • Runtime
    14 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    USA
  • Premiere
    World
  • Director
    Alejandro de los Rios
  • Editor
    Alejandro de los Rios
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