Filmmakers are looking for residents in St. Charles Parish to interview about environmental issues for a new movie.
Jim Becket, of Becket Films, and his partner Jim Whitney spent last week on the East Bank and West Bank areas of the parish scouting locations in preparation for a film and a symposium. The two filmmakers have been traveling along rivers worldwide for the past year, gathering footage for an environmental movie.
“We would like to interview some local residents for the film who have concerns about the environment and what they’ve done about those concerns,” Becket said. “We’re also looking for religious leaders from all faiths within the parish to be a part of our symposia.”
A symposium is an academic conference. Becket’s symposium will take place on a ship that will travel along the Mississippi Gulf Coast in October of 2009.
“His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, has been recognized by Time Magazine as one of the world’s most influential people,” Becket said. “We’ve just completed traveling on ship with him and filming as he meets with various religious leaders in the communities and we’ll be doing the same thing in St. Charles Parish and all along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”
Right now, Becket is looking for parish religious leaders from all faiths in an effort to bring religion, science and environmental groups together to produce this film.
“Our goal with this film and symposia is to raise public awareness about the plight of the world’s waters, to get clergy and scientists in specific areas to work together to strengthen existing projects on environmental protection, and where there is need, to persuade national and international bodies to support new projects financially,” he said.
Becket hopes that the movie, which will be filmed locally in the River Parishes, will improve the dialogue about the connections between religion and science.
“That’s why the Ecumenical Patriarch is coming and asking to meet with local religious leaders about the environment,” Becket said. “He hopes to continue to unite religion, science and environmental groups.”
Becket has directed six feature films, directed two television movies and continues to write scripts and direct movies. His awards include festival best film awards, two Humanists Awards, and a George Foster Peabody Award.
Anyone who has environmental concerns in the parish and is interested in being a part of the film or symposia can contact Jim Becket at (213) 503-1645.
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