Fanfare's first events feature new films
Contact: Christina Chapple
9/23/06
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THE FIREFLY CLUB – A new film by Southeastern Louisiana University’s Martie Fellom and Alan Marsh, “The Firefly Club,” will debut Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts as part of Fanfare, Southeastern’s annual arts festival. The film stars, from left, Parker Ramirez, Erica Tricou, and Olivia Bates.
HAMMOND – While Southeastern Louisiana University’s Fanfare is best associated with the month of October, it usually begins as September ends. And this year is no exception, as the 21st season of the annual arts festival debuts this week with two events featuring films.
A highlight of the season’s opener, the Sept. 28 gala dedicating the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts performance hall to the late Sen. John J. Hainkel Jr., will be a video tribute to the legendary legislator.
“John J. Hainkel Jr.: Man of Service” was written and produced by the Southeastern Public Information Office with cooperation from the university’s cable access Southeastern Channel. The approximately 10 minute documentary outlines the life of the man who played a key role in securing the funding for the Southeastern-community renovation of the historic downtown theater.
The dedication featuring remarks by Hainkel’s friends and colleagues and musical selections by the Southeastern Wind Symphony begins at 7 p.m. at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts. The gala is free, but requires a ticket that can be obtained at the Columbia box office.
The following night, Sept. 29, will showcase the debut of two new films, “The Firefly Club” and “Presence Patrol,” by the Southeastern producer-writer-director duo of Martie Fellom and Alan Marsh.
The debut of a new work by Fellom, director of the dance program, and Marsh, a member of the English faculty, is becoming a Fanfare tradition. The pair has now collaborated on several award-winning works, including “Wish,” “Wild Kingdom,” and “An Act of Bravery.”
The film premieres are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Columbia and are free to the public.
“The Firefly Club,” Marsh said, is a drama, a very visual art film of motifs and symbols that centers dramatically around three young girls lost at night in the woods. The production team – three Southeastern students who have formed “Somnium Studios, LLC” – had to overcome a number of challenges – from summer heat and insects to shooting schedules restricted by “nighttime” lighting demands and Marsh’s special effects requirements.
Chris Guagliardo, Matt Seamster and Austen Ledford “really came through. They picked up the ball and ran with it,” Marsh said. The young filmmakers were guided by Southeastern Channel staffers Claude Levet, Steve Kleyle and Steve Zaffuto and assisted by interns Stephanie Delcambre and Erin McCalip.
“The Firefly Club” stars Olivia Bates, Erica Tricou and Parker Ramirez and features Cynthia Tricou; Artie and Joey Gautier; Becky, Russell and Emily Wilson; Kiley, Abigail, and Michelle Bates; Rose and Alyssa Anders; and Alvin Burstein.
The video is set to a score by Southeastern composer-in-residence Stephen Suber.
“Presence Patrol,” Marsh said, is a “personal travelogue” of his experience documenting fellow Louisiana Army National Guards members’ activities in Iraq in spring 2005. Marsh was one of three members of the guard’s 102nd Public Affairs Detachment deployed to Iraq to capture and record the 256th Brigade Combat Team participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
For additional information about Fanfare 2006, contact the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, (985) 543-4366 or visit http://www.columbiatheatre.org. Fanfare tickets are available online and at the Columbia box office, 220 East Thomas St., Hammond, (985) 543‑4371. Box office hours are noon to 5 p.m., weekdays. The box office is also open one hour before performance time for events at the Columbia Theatre.
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