NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans’ own Garden District Productions is thrilled to share that its locally-shot short film, Garden District, is gaining global traction. Last week, Budapest Film Awards announced Garden District as the 2021 award winner of Best Production Design.
In August, Garden District will participate in the Madrid International Film Festival, which will be held virtually August 23-27 from Madrid. The team hopes to win one of the five awards for which they received Madrid nominations: Best Short Film, Best Director of a Short Film: Oley Sassone, Best Supporting Actress in a Short Film: Kelly Lind, Outstanding Actress in a Short Film: Janet Shea, and Best Set Design. They look forward to representing New Orleans on the international stage.
“We are immensely proud of the outstanding New Orleans cast and crew for continuing to receive these international honors,” said Garden District co-producer, Rory O’Neill Schmitt. “This film celebrates New Orleans, and the top-notch cast, crew, writer, and director, deserve this recognition.”
Writer/ creator, Rosary O’Neill, shared, “Let’s bring work and art to all the talented artists of New Orleans. Let’s preserve the beauty of New Orleans on film, her glorious Garden District, and her mystical people defying death with their sensuality, intelligence and gold coins. Let’s love the weary gentle beauties of the Garden District in all their vile and guilty magnificence.”
Set in the lush and opulent Garden District neighborhood, the film tells the story of a very wealthy, very unhappy, and exceptionally dysfunctional family. The matriarch, Irene Dubonnet struggles with balancing her love for her dysfunctional adult children and the direction in which their lives have gone. It is a constant tug of war with her artist-son (played by Bryan Batt), writer-daughter (played by Kelly Lind), shady son-in-law (played by the creator’s son, Barret O’Brien), and actress-stepdaughter (played by Sherri Eakin). The recent sudden death of her husband catapults Irene in having to select who will inherit the Dubonnet family millions within a year.
Madrid marks Garden District’s eleventh film festival. Additional festivals thus far have included: London International Film Festival (Winner: Best Short Film, Best Actor in a Short Film: Bryan Batt and Barret O’Brien), Toronto International Women Film Festival, Montreal Independent Film Festival, Vancouver Independent Film Festival (Finalist), Berlin Shorts Award (Finalist), Paris International Short Film Festival (Finalist), Vienna Indie Film Festival (Semi-Finalist), Florida Shorts (Semi-Finalist), Sydney Indie Short Festival (Semi-Finalist).
Producers include Rory O’Neill Schmitt, Rachelle O’Brien Geerds, Allison Musso, Jennifer Zoe Taylor, Michelle Dumont, Kelly Lind, Rosary O’Neill, and Oley Sassone. Garden District’s film festival sponsors include: Jay and Sandra Nix of Parkway Bakery and Tavern, Annie Jarrell, Laurie Sapakoff and Evan Cohen.
Members of the media are invited to view the film. Please contact Rachelle O’Brien at (504)250-0576.
Learn more at the Garden District website:
http://www.gardendistrictproductions.com
For more information on the Budapest Film Awards go here:
For more information on the Madrid International Film Festival go here:
https://www.filmfestinternational.com/tag/madrid-iff-2021-nominations
http://www.madridinternationalfilmfestival.com
Follow Garden District on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/gardendistrictproductions
https://www.instagram.com/gardendistrictproductions
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