New Orleans Film Society New Orleans, LA
Sandra Schulberg
President, IndieCollect
andGlen Pitre
Filmmaker
$8.50 A Barrel (Huit Piastres Et Demie!)— From celluloid to 4K: The revival of $8.50 a Barrel
Program Description
In person screenings on February 24 and 27th will be followed by a conversation with filmmaker Glen Pitre and Sandra Schulberg, founder and president of IndieCollect, the nonprofit responsible for the restoration of the film from the original film negatives to the 4K digital version. Schulberg will speak about the “science” of film restoration: the time-consuming and expensive process of restoring the original film and sound elements, using a Kinetta scanner, colorists, and a sound technician. She will also provide insight into IndieCollect's decision process into deciding which films to restore and invest in and how this relates to the overall landscape of threatened and marginalized cultures represented on screen.
Presented At
New Orleans Film Society New Orleans, LA
Film Synopsis
A thrilling recreation of the tumultuous Shrimp War of 1938.
During the Great Depression, shrimp prices spiraled down. Fishermen began to organize, families chose sides, and violence erupted. The Cajun cast recreates the tumultuous Shrimp War of 1938 in this thrilling film. Though made on a tiny scale, its verisimilitude recalls Victor Fleming’s dramatic 1937 film, Captains Courageous. New 4K Restoration by IndieCollect created with the support of the Golden Globe Foundation.
About the Speaker
An independent film activist, Sandra Schulberg founded the IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project), co-founded First Run Features, and now heads the IndieCollect film preservation campaign. Her producer credits include the Oscar-nominated Quills, Sundance Grand Prize winner Waiting for the Moon, and Beth’s B Exposed. Her work with Nuremberg has allowed her to collaborate with jurists and criminal justice NGOs around the world.
When not aboard the family’s leaky shrimp boat, Glen Pitre grew up in the Cajun town of Cut Off, Louisiana, went to Harvard on scholarship, graduated with honors, then immediately scooted back down the bayou determined to make his living as a storyteller. By age 25, American Film magazine dubbed him “the father of Cajun cinema” as his low- budget, French dialect “gumbo westerns” broke house records in bayou country theaters. With the help of the Sundance Institute, his internationally-lauded Belizaire the Cajun became his first English-language movie. In the years since, he’s worked from Paris to Mumbai as writer, producer, and director of big screen dramas, cable thrillers, PBS documentaries, and IMAX films. His movies have featured Oscar and Emmy winning actors, played in theaters and on TV worldwide, been lauded at festivals such as Sundance and Cannes, and prompted famous film critic Roger Ebert to call Pitre “a legendary American regional director.” Pitre’s other works include novels and non-fiction books, museum exhibits and sacred space design, multi-screen video installations and immersive experiences, still photography, radio programming, professional theater, on-stage storytelling… to name a few. Over his career Pitre has won countless awards including an honorary doctorate, a humanities lifetime achievement, and a knighthood from France, Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.