Every time you go to New Orleans, it’s like visiting for the first time all over again because the city morphs into a new thing depending on when and/or why you’re there. My most recent visit was for the 36th annual New Orleans Film Festival where once again, I was introduced to the city anew. From Oct 23 – 27th, the New Orleans Film Society took over the Contemporary Arts Center, the Times-Picayune building and various theatres around the city for film enthusiasts to enjoy 5 days of culture in motion. It isn’t a weekend of sitting in stuffy theatres or black box screening rooms to watch undecipherable avant garde films, it’s an opportunity to watch people’s dreams coming to fruition right in front of our eyes.
The opening night of the festival kicked off with a screening of Michalopoulos – The Art Of Celebration, at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre in Louis Armstrong Park, right outside of the French Quarter. The film itself is a beautiful celebration of a prolific artist who adopted New Orleans as his home and has spent years working to uplift its artists and preserve its legacy. I love a good documentary and this one doesn’t disappoint. The PBS affiliated WLAE-produced documentary is saturated not only in the colors of his art but the colors of the region – the lush land and the proud homes. It’s saturated in the sounds of jazz, the musical lilt of conversation and the acoustics of everyday life. It’s the kind of documentary that makes you fall in love.
Immediately following was the kick-off party at the Michalopoulos Studio Complex on Elysian Fields which attracted every kind of artist imaginable and was truly indicative of the weekend to follow. Guests were able to take a guided tour of James Michalopoulos’ working studio to view (and touch) the thousands of paintings, sketches and sculptures in various degrees of execution or completion. (When I tell you this man is a prolific artist!) His paintings sing and and dance and vibrate with color and energy – no still life here.
The Hotel Pompadour, part of the Michalopoulos complex, hosted the afterparty where guests wandered the first floor of this indoor/outdoor, artist-designed space through “a maze of color-drenched rooms carefully curated with original paintings and curios from his personal collection, each room offering a new way to experience the continuously expanding work of the artist.”1 The party was in full swing over here! A live band playing Afrobeats (as pioneered by the late great Fela Kuti) had the dance floor in full motion. Free drinks flowed freely while artisans crafted complimentary crepes for the guests. The perfect environment to make new old friends!
It was the perfect way to close out Night 1 of the New Orleans Film Festival! Stay tuned for Day 2!
