The Spirit of the Zeitgeist
By Jonathan KatzOur fair city is one proud of its unique artists and famed for its fantastic entertainment venues. New Orleans native Rene Broussard belongs in the former category, and his brainchild, the Zeitgest Multidisciplinary Arts Center, belongs in the latter. The Zeitgeist, located at 1617 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., aptly mirrors its multi-talented artificer—on any given night, the adventuresome culture-seeker heading to the Zeitgeist may happen upon a wide range of goings-on; from grassroots film festivals to avant-garde features to experimental animation, the Zeitgeist’s exhibitions are like nothing else in New Orleans.
To understand the Zeitgeist, it is important to understand the genesis of Broussard himself. He attended local parochial elementary and high schools and majored in drama and communications at the University of New Orleans. There, he was able to nourish a lifelong obsession with live theatre. Enrolled in a theatrical independent-study course, Broussard directed a play adapted from the work of one of his heroes, the late Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The play, entitled “Blood on the Cat’s Neck,” focused on a character named Phoebe Zeitgeist. Due to the potentially sensitive nature of the play, members of the UNO administration chastised Broussard and canceled the upcoming performance. Undeterred, Broussard and his crew took the play off-campus to the (now-defunct) Can-Can Cabaret on Bourbon St. The show was a resounding success, and, in Broussard’s words, the first example of the “Zeitgeist Theatre” experience.
Many years, several venues, and the odd stray bullet later, Broussard is still taking risks and challenging minds as the curator of an astounding rotation of media at the O. C. Haley venue. Highlights include the annual Human Rights Film Festival, the biannual Middle East Film Festival, and—new for 2008—the International Rights of the Child Film Festival, to be held at the Zeitgeist from November 14 through 19.
Here are some highlights of a recent chat between Where Y’at and Rene Broussard:
WHERE Y’AT: If you could sit down to dinner with any three people who have been involved in cinema, dead or alive, who would they be?
Rene Broussard: Oh, wow—that’s tough. [Laughs.] Does it have to be dinner? There are those I’d love to be with, but not necessarily talking. [Laughs uproariously.] You know, I had a big crush on Rainer Werner Fassbinder when I was in high school. He was pretty hot. I’d have to say, though, Wallace Shawn…Derek Jarman…gosh, it’s so difficult to narrow it down. Oh, and Shane Meadows. I’m a huge Shane Meadows fan. He did This is England, my favorite film of the decade so far. And I’ve met him, but dinner would be really cool.
WYAT: On a side note—if you could punch anyone in the face, dead or alive, who would it be?
RB: Roger Ebert!
WYAT: Because he’s a Young Earth Creationist?
RB: He is?
WYAT: I’m not really sure. He’s spoken out in support of evolution in the past, but there was a recent pro-creationism page added to his website, which may or may not be a farce. Isn’t that kind of strange?
RB: [Laughs.] That is strange. But I said Ebert because someone punched him at a film festival earlier this year. What happened was…he can’t talk right now, he’s got the cancer. And Ebert was sitting behind some critic from the New York Post. And Ebert kept tapping the critic on the shoulder to move his head so he could see the subtitles, and the Post guy wouldn’t move. And Ebert couldn’t say anything, so he just kept tapping the guy’s shoulder. And the Post guy, you know, freaked out on Ebert—and slugged ‘im.
WYAT: That’s a funny image.
RB: But seriously, about my own punch—does it have to be someone in the film industry?
WYAT: No, just anyone from history.
RB: George W. Bush, for stealing my country. I can’t think of anybody I hate more.
WYAT: Moving on, where do you see the local New Orleans film scene going artistically?
RB: Well, New Orleans is a unique case. Prior to Katrina, there were a small group of film and video artists making some really interesting work, mostly by themselves on their own little systems. Two guys named Chris Brown and Jason Vowell came together and founded this New Orleans filmmakers’ meet-up group, in the interest of forging a film-based community in the city. Zeitgeist’s been contributing to the same community over the years. We host open house screenings and pot lucks for local filmmakers so we can all come together and, you know—discuss. But after Katrina, everybody was making videos. People were making their own Katrina videos. Lord knows I’ve seen hundreds of ‘em. Everyone and their grandmother—or about their grandmother, has made a Katrina film. [Laughs.] As a video artist, I made the conscious decision to not make one. But some of them are very good. Unfortunately, I think the glut has started to have a negative effect on the general public. Similar to the two classic “no one will come” subjects.
WYAT: And those are?
RB: Typically, if anywhere in the subject or description of your film lie the words “AIDS” or “Iraq,” no one will come see your movie. And I think it’s very close to happening with Katrina as well. For the local community, it will be interesting to see what the next wave of films will be discussing. There’s certainly a lot of social injustice and other issues here in the city that need a spotlight.