DVD Cover Art

... about "American Gumbo*"...

“American Gumbo was an idea flushed out of the need to make a project that focused on New Orleans and it's people. As a filmmaker in NOLA (New Orleans, LA), I feel that our independent cinema is not what it should be. We tend to focus on everything around us, when the gem IS us. Our culture. I wrote a film "i am nola' in the summer of 2008 with Dennis Nguyen, and tried to push it to get made. Because of the nature of financing in New Orleans, it was not going to get made unless I found a way to do it myself, which was an option But because I wanted New Orleans to be seen in the most beautiful light possible, I chose not to shoot in myself and end up with something that wasn't excellent. In February of 2010, during Mardi Gras, my car broke down, and I was forced to ride the public transit to and from work. The rides, the loss of pride, and the time alone forced me to think, and out of this thinking came 'American Gumbo*", a film of people talking about the city, sort of a pre 'i am nola'. The idea was to put friends in a room and just have them talk, and the basis of their stories would create the narrative. So, on May 12th, they sat down and talked, and what they made was an America Gumbo*.”

American Gumbo* Sneak Peek 'Remi and Mike'

Towards the end of the night, Remi decided he didn't want to shoot his scene. So we begged him, and he relented and shot this 20 minute scene with Mike Kenny. It was classic. In this sneak peek, Remi talks about Bon Jovi and Why everyone needs a Big Mike in their life. We had the greatest time, and laughed until the end. Within the film, Remi and Mike joke with each other, but also take a couple minutes to talk about why they think their French Quarter bar, 'Hostel', did not work out.

"American Gumbo*" Sneak Peek 'Rebecca and Lisa'

Here is a sneak peek into "America Gumbo*" with Rebecca Baras and Lisa Nahay. They talk about the culture of New Orleans and how it is to live here. Things are moving along, and except for my PC acting up, things look fine. We had a great shoot day with all of the people involved, and Remi helped out big time once again by playing double duty. Although the music will be handled by Moby, I've included another composer, Kevin MacLeod to handle the score, which I believe will give the film a more cinematic feel. Look for more sneak peeks coming within the next week...

Rebecca Barras and Lisa Nahay talk about the city of New Orleans and their feelings on the culture in their short sneak peek of "American Gumbo*"



Musical Score by Kevin MacLeod

Director of Photography Patrick Marrero

Directed by Jonathan Isaac Jackson

Crawfish Homicide

American Gumbo* Rough Open

Here is a rough open of AG*. Mike will open up with a voice over over the Saints Parade footage. We look to start shooting on May 12th, and hope to be finished by the last week of May. So far, so good...

Here is a rough open of AG*. Mike will open up with a voice over over the Saints Parade footage. So far, so good...

'miami gumbo'

Mike Kenny, Javier Drada, and David Richard's trip to Miami for the WMC... the chill version, at least...

Mike Kenny, Javier Drada, and David Richard's trip to Miami for the WMC... the chill version, at least...