It might not be accurate to call Feb. 18’s cinematic premiere of “In the Electric Mist” as Hollywood coming South, but it sure marks an important moment in Teche Area history.
“Mist” stars Tommy Lee Jones and is based on James Lee Burke’s novel “In the Electric Mist of the Confederate Dead,” but the film never received the Hollywood backing most locals were hoping. So instead of a grand premiere in Southern California and the subsequent rolling out to thousands of nationwide movie screens, “Mist” will have to settle for a Grand Theater launch in New Iberia’s Bayou Landing Shopping Center.
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The movie’s distributor, Mark Roche of Image Entertainment, told The Daily Iberian earlier this year “Mist,” which was filmed in New Iberia and surrounding communities in the spring of 2007, is scheduled to be released on DVD and Blu-ray March 3, with a limited release in theaters following this month’s local red carpet event.
The fact is the film would have never gotten this far if hundreds of Teche Area residents had not given of their skills as both unpaid volunteers or paid contract workers.
Many local residents were lucky enough to work in the film as extras and still more will certainly recognize the many common locales the movie used for filming way back in 2007.
Stories are still swapped routinely in The Daily Iberian’s offices about a scene filmed in our building.
The only real disappointment is the fact the film’s star, Jones, most likely won’t be in attendance. Gordon Doerle, one of the sponsors of a Gougenheim reception after the premier, said Jones is in Europe and will most likely be unable to attend the event.
He did say producers told him John Goodman was contacted and is supposed to try to arrange his schedule to attend.
Goodman or not, Jones or not, the true star is and remains novelist James Lee Burke, whose literary vision inspired all of this. Burke will be in attendance and he said “The music, the acting and the lovely depiction of the Acadiana area and its people are a treat.”
The Teche Area might not be ready to open movie studios, but the word is spreading.
Franklin was the site last week of another film production. Independent filmmaker Shawn Cain took over the Teche Theatre with a cast and crew Thursday to shoot scenes for his upcoming movie “Allure.”
The interesting part was several Teche Area residents were cast in the scene as fans and media at a fancy movie premiere.
Last week’s Franklin movie premiere was only fiction. Next week’s “Mist” premiere will be the real thing — something to be proud of for everyone.
STEPHEN HEMELT is city editor of The Daily Iberian. He can be reached at stephen.hemelt@daily-iberian.com.
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