CROWLEY, La. — A Cajun murder mystery written and filmed in Acadiana will screen June 12 at the Rice Theater in downtown Crowley.
Pat Mire and Rebecca Hudsmith wrote "Pointe Noire" during the COVID-19 lockdown. The film tells the story of a falsely accused man on death row.
"And we decided we would spend our spare time — commit finally to writing a screenplay," Hudsmith said.
Mire, who co-wrote and directed the film, said he made a personal commitment to finish the project.
"I told Rebecca I wouldn't shave or I wouldn't drink a drop of wine until we had a first draft, and 6 months later, I had a beard like this," Mire said.
In six months, they completed the screenplay. The male lead is a crawfisherman and documentary filmmaker. The female lead is a criminal defense attorney specializing in death penalty cases.
"I said that's it, bingo. I mean, I can do my part, you can do your part," Mire said.
Hudsmith, who co-wrote and produced the film, said seeing the screenplay come to life was emotional.
"It was surreal to see that somebody was taking my words. That I had worked so hard on writing and my life experiences and turning it into what is a work of art, it was phenomenal. It really brought me to tears to see it in real life. It was amazing," Hudsmith said.
Mire said the film challenges stereotypes about Cajun culture.
"I've been fighting stereotyping for a long time. We were just tired of people coming in and showing Cajuns like drunks falling off horses. There was more to Mardi Gras than that, than rural Mardi Gras, than what they were saying," Mire said.
The screening begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 12, at the Rice Theater in downtown Crowley. The event is free and open to the public.
