Southern noir film ‘Cowboy’ premieres at New Orleans Film Festival

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The 36th annual New Orleans Film Festival will take place in New Orleans at various theaters Oct. 23 through Oct. 27.

“Cowboy” is one of 131 films showing at this year’s New Orleans Film Festival.

Director, actor and producer of “Cowboy,” Nathan Grubbs, is thrilled his film will make its world-premiere at this festival, especially since he grew up here.

Grubbs said “Cowboy” was filmed in the New Orleans area, including St. Bernard Parish and Lafitte.

“I wanted to have the inner city and have it be kind of dark and seedy. Film in certain areas like the railroads and railroad tracks and old abandoned buildings, then cross the railroad tracks in this romanticized version of the Louisiana South with oak trees and Spanish moss,” Grubbs said.

In addition to “Cowboy,” other films that the Interim Executive Director of the New Orleans Film Society, Dodd Loomis, wants to spotlight are the opening and closing night films.

“There are approximately 10,000 film festivals on planet Earth and only 181 of them qualify as Oscar-qualifying film festivals, and we’re one of them. Excitement, energy, community, education, fun, parties,” Loomis said.

This year’s opening night film is “Michalopoulos: The Art of Celebration.”

“It is a documentary about beloved local artist, James Michalopoulos, and it’s really a love letter to the city,” he said.

The closing night film is “Wake up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” the third in the series starring Daniel Craig.

“We’re a major A-list film festival,” Loomis said.

The New Orleans Film Festival also includes seminars, virtual movies and parties.

The New Orleans Film Society also announced a new three-year partnership with Andscape, the Black-led media platform under The Walt Disney Company and ESPN. Andscape is the presenting sponsor for the New Orleans Film Fest 2025.

The New Orleans Film Society received over 3,700 submissions from 125 countries, and it will be showcasing 130-plus films in-person at The Broad Theater, Contemporary Arts Center, the Prytania Theatre, the Mahalia Jackson Theater, the Historic New Orleans Collection and the New Orleans Jazz Museum from Oct. 23 through Oct. 27.

“Cowboy” premieres at the Prytania Theater on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 2:45 p.m.

The synopsis of “Cowboy” on the New Orleans Film Society page reads, “In New Orleans, war veterans Juno and Mo survive on small-time heists, selling stolen goods to Crane, a secretive pawn shop owner. Seeking redemption, Juno plans a horse theft to fund a fresh start and revive his long-buried dream of rodeo riding. But a rival’s betrayal leads to a tragic accident that changes the course of multiple lives. Imprisoned and haunted by guilt, Juno is forced to confront his past. When fate draws him back into the life of a woman unknowingly connected to his downfall, he hides the truth of who he is, desperate for a second chance. This is a gritty tale of redemption, deception and the fragile hope that even the most broken can find their way home.”

For ticket information and showtimes, visit the New Orleans Film Society website.

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