Episode 118 - ADA AND THE DOC Writer/Director Matison LeBlanc

Held for the first time this past August, the Baton Rouge Underground Film Festival presented an eclectic and entertaining selection of shorts and feature films made in the unmistakable indie spirit, with a significant number of them produced by and starring Louisiana-based talent.

For the next few weeks on this podcast, you'll hear from several of those extraordinary filmmakers and actors who brought the Pelican State to the big screen while telling unforgettable stories in the process.

My first guest in this special series is writer/director and Morgan City native Matison LeBlanc, whose compelling historical thriller Ada and The Doc takes a look at a nearly forgotten scandal that enthralled her hometown in 1927: the controversial murder trial of housewife Ada LeBeouf and her alleged accomplice Dr. Thomas Dreher, who allegedly helped Ada kill her abusive husband, Jim, while also being suspected of having an affair with her.

The trial concluded with a hastily decided yet historic verdict, albeit one rendered without a shred of physical evidence: Ada would be the first Louisiana woman sentenced to death for murder, while Dr. Dreher would also be executed for the same crime. 

Decades after the trial, LeBlanc prepared a full-length screenplay based on the extraordinary story of both Ada and Dr. Dreher as part of a class filmmaking project at the Georgia-based Savannah College of Art and Design.

Returning to Morgan City, LeBlanc and a team of actors and artists filmed a proof-of-concept short version of the screenplay, which premiered to high praise at this year's Cannes Film Festival and was recently seen at the inaugural Baton Rouge Underground Film Festival. 

As LeBlanc seeks funding to shoot Ada and The Doc in its complete form, the short subject will next be seen twice this coming weekend - Saturday, September 20th and Sunday, September 21st - in a special “double feature” program. 

The Saturday screening and post-film Q and A session will be held at the Teche Theatre for The Performing Arts in Franklin, Louisiana from 7-8:30 PM, while the Sunday showing will take place at the Manship Theatre in Baton Rouge from 4-5:30 PM alongside other great Louisiana short films as part of the “Her Lens: Louisiana Women In Film” event.

Ticket and location information for both screenings is available on Ada and The Doc’s social media pages, which you can find in the notes for this week's podcast. 

Ada and The Doc will also be shown at the Oscar-qualifying New Orleans Film Festival next month.

UPDATE: Ada and The Doc's screening at the New Orleans Film Festival will take place on Sunday, October 26th at 5:15 PM at the Prytania Theatre in Uptown New Orleans.

For more info on the film, visit its official web site:

https://www.adaandthedocfilm.com/

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adaandthedoc/

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adaandthedoc/

Follow The Viewfinder Podcast on X @ViewfinderPod

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheViewfinderPodcast

Music by Audionautix.com