SHOWCASING LOUISIANA: ‘Lost Bayou’ film makes world premiere

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Watching the film Lost Bayou is a haunting journey. The story follows a struggling addict forced to reconnect with her estranged father aboard his secluded houseboat. She ends up making a chilling discovery that leads the pair deeper into the swamp.

Outside of the human drama is another character central to the film: Acadiana’s unique landscape.

“I think Arnaudville, Henderson, Breaux Bridge, they just really set the right backdrop and mood in the film,” said lead actress, Teri Wyble.

Wyble grew up in Arnaudville and graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette before moving away to pursue an acting and modeling career in New Orleans and Los Angeles.

Lost Bayou director, Brian C. Miller Richard, is originally from Breaux Bridge, but also now splits his time between California and New Orleans. Both he and Wyble couldn’t wait to come home to make a film so close to their hearts.

“A lot of really talented people from Louisiana made this movie,” Miller Richard said. “It’s definitely a love letter to who we are and where we’re from."

”The first day of shooting was at my house I grew up in on the Bayou Teche," Wyble recalled.

The cast and crew shot for 13 days in January of 2018 near Henderson. It was an unusually cold winter that even brought a little snow, and ultimately the perfect shots.

“The film really talks about death and grieving, and the rich browns and the dead trees and the bright blue skies in the winter in the swamp does a really good job of signifying that feeling that we have within the film,” Miller Richard explained.

The film embraces the Cajun heritage of its characters while exploring the folklore behind Creole faith healers. It has picked up several prizes for cinematography and overall excellence since debuting at 2019’s Tribeca Film Festival.

“Just to have that stage was quite amazing for our little bitty film that we made in the Atchafalaya Basin and Henderson all the way to New York to show it. We’ve been playing all over the country and all over the world,” Miller Richard said.

But the Louisiana natives know the ultimate, and perhaps harshest, critics are the ones back home.

“In my mind, it was always we were making it for them,” Wyble said. “That’s who I... in my mind we’re making it for you Louisiana, Acadiana.”

You can watch Lost Bayou on several streaming services, including Apple, Google Play, and Amazon.

Click here to report a typo.

Copyright 2020 WAFB. All rights reserved.