The feature film "Pointe Noire," directed by Pat Mire and written by Pat Mire and Rebecca Hudsmith, is in post-production. The bi-lingual film tells the story of a falsely accused Cajun man on Louisiana's Death Row. It stars famed Canadian actor Roy Dupuis and Boston-based actor Myriam Cyr, who is originally from New Brunswick and starred in Mire’s directorial debut feature film “Dirty Rice.” Filming took place throughout rural Acadiana. Mire plans to release the film in the spring of 2024.
The 18th Annual Ozark Foothills Film Fest awarded Pat Mire the Best Documentary Feature Award for Mire's feature film "Sushi & Sauce Piquante: The Life & Music of Gerry McGee." Mire attended the Festival in April 2019 for the screening of his film at the historic Melba Theater in downtown Batesville, Arkansas. A longtime fan of the Ozark Foothills Film Fest, Mire was delighted to attend with his film and meet the wonderful town folks who present and support this great regional Festival.
Pat Mire's latest film, "Quebec City Mambo," has screened at film festivals across Canada this fall, including Festival International de Cinéma et D'Art Percé, Festival de Cinéma de la Ville de Québec, and Festival International du Cinéma Francophone en Acadie. This documentary short follows Pat Mire and Rebecca Hudsmith, representing Lafayette's Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival, as they explore Québec City and attend the 2017 Festival de Cinéma de la Ville de Québec. In their search for the cultural ties between French Louisiana and Québec, they meet up with many old friends -- Francophone filmmakers who have attended Cinema on the Bayou over the years -- and also make many new friends.
"Quebec City Mambo" will make its U.S. Premiere in January 2019 at the 14th Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival, which will be held at various venues in and around Lafayette, Louisiana from January 23-30, 2019.
Twenty years ago, on December 4, 1997, "Dirty Rice" had its World Premiere in Lafayette at the United Artist Theatre on Kaliste Saloom before an audience of over 1200 people. This debut narrative feature film by award-winning filmmaker Pat Mire was released on United Artist screens throughout Louisiana. To this day, "Dirty Rice" holds the record for the longest-running film to play in a Lafayatte movie theatre -- it was booked for a two-week engagement and was held over for five months.
On December 4, 2017, Cinema on the Bayou, in conjunction with Acadiana Center for the Arts, presents "Dirty Rice" at a Red Carpet community celebration of the 20th anniversary of its World Premiere along with Mire and those who starred in, worked on and supported the film. The film screening, which begins at 7:30 pm, will be followed by a gala reception with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased at Acadiana Center for the Arts, 101 W. Vermilion St., Lafayette, LA 70501, by calling 337-233-7060 or on line at: http://acadianacenterforthearts.org/dirty-rice-20th-anniversary-screening.
An official selection at the 42nd London Film Festival, "Dirty Rice" captures the raw essence of the rural Cajun community in South Louisiana in a tale of a man rediscovering his roots and reclaiming his heritage. As renowned movie critic Neil Norman of the London Evening Standard put it, “While The Big Easy, No Mercy and most recently, Eve’s Bayou, have flirted with the Cajun world, this is the real deal, 100% proof.”
This 20th anniversary screening is a fundraiser for Cinema on the Bayou Film Society, a Section 501(c)(3) non-profit which presents the 13th Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival on January 24-31, 2018.
Film Synopsis (85 min.): Returning from the city of New Orleans, where he works as an architect, to his parents’ farm following the death of his father, Louis Daigle (Benjamin Mouton) is drawn back into the life of farming and a relationship with an old flame (Myriam Cyr). But times are hard and the falling value of rice is threatening the farmers’ livelihood. Featuring the beautifully shot Cajun prairie landscape and a sound track driven by the haunting music of this unique culture, the film tells the story of a man who, like the people from whom he is descended, manages to survive with passion and grace.
Pat Mire has been invited by New York-based Firelight Media to participate in a Documentary Lab Retreat for emerging diverse documentary filmmakers in New Orleans this weekend as part of the New Orleans Film Festival. Pat will take part in a panel discussion on Battle Stories From Veteran Filmmakers and will also serve as a Creative Advisor to attending filmmakers in small-group sessions. Firelight Media, which is best known for producing high-quality, powerful productions for PBS, was founded in 2000 by filmmaker Stanley Nelson, who will participate in this weekend's Retreat, and by writer Marcia Smith, as an independent production company dedicated to harnessing the power of story-driven media as a platform for education and action. In 2008, Firelight expanded its mission to include the Documentary Lab, a flagship mentorship program that seeks out and develops emerging diverse documentary filmmakers. The Lab provides filmmakers with one-on-one support, funding, professional development workshops and networking opportunities.
Pat's participation in the Firelight Documentary Lab Retreat for emerging filmmakers is consistent with his long-time commitment to mentoring and encouraging new and emerging filmmakers, as evidenced by his 12-year service as Artistic Director for Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival, which has attracted hundreds of filmmakers, both seasoned and emerging, to Lafayette from around the world.