EDFF 2025 Rundown: Louisiana Film Prize Top 5

Once again the El Dorado Film Festival had the distinct honor of showcasing the Top 5 finalists from the recent Louisiana Film Prize. The growing Louisiana Film Prize is a Shreveport-based short film competition and festival that was founded in 2012. To no surprise, this year’s block included an exciting range of compelling voices from a host of intriguing filmmakers.

Here are a few impressions out of the five films included in the block…

Writer-director Michael Cusumano brings together two estranged siblings to settle their recently deceased father’s estate in the acidic and smart comedy “Napoleonic Code”. Charity Schubert plays Kat, a New Yorker who travels to Louisiana in order to meet with her brother Mason (Josh Talley). As the two begin sorting through their father’s affairs, Mason broadsided Kat with an unexpected secret. But little does he know, Kat has a pretty big secret of her own. The two stars fully commit and deftly handle what is potentially tricky material. They help Cusumano deliver a smart and witty two-hander that adds a deliciously toxic twist to sibling rivalries.

VERDICT – 4/5

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Logan (Logan Sledge) has been a loving and devoted son to his mother, Pam (Pam Dougherty). But with her deteriorating health due to Parkinson’s disease, Logan is confronted with the new responsibilities of being her full-time caregiver. But while he feels guilty about his frustration, he finds joy in the most unexpected thing. Written and directed by Chris Alan Evans, “Toots.” is an extremely personal work (Evans is a caregiver to his own mother) which is evident in nearly every frame. Both Sledge and Dougherty are terrific while DP Alexander Jeffery relays a wealth of emotion through his graceful lensing. “Toots.” is a touching drama with moments of well incorporated humor. But it’s the profound human pulse that resonates most.

VERDICT – 4.5/5

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Erica Michelle Singleton shines both in front of and behind the camera in the strikingly raw and authentic “Three Sessions”. Singleton directs, writes, produces, edits, and stars in this deftly written and superbly acted drama about a couple whose marriage is on the rocks. Elaine (Singleton) and Paul (Jamad Mays) are at a critical point in their relationship. In a desperate attempt to save their marriage, the two sit down for individual counseling sessions with a therapist named Connie (a terrific Moriah L. Hicks). Singleton’s film is brimming with truth and empathy. Not one single scene comes off as false making this struggling couple’s plight painfully real and worthy of our total investment.