“Blue: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue” is the award-winning, first-ever feature-length documentary exploring the remarkable journey of George Rodrigue as an artist and 2024 Winner of the Southern Feature Audience Award at the New Orleans Film Festival.
Created by the award-winning team behind films such as Fats Domino—Walking Back to New Orleans, A Tribute to Toussaint, and Irma Thomas: The Soul Queen of New Orleans, this latest production by WLAE-TV and LAE Productions brings to life the inspiring story of an artist who overcame significant adversity to achieve international acclaim as a pop art icon.
BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue will be available across the United States starting May 2025, distributed by American Public Television (APT) in syndication to public television stations, including PBS affiliates, and accessible via the PBS Passport app where supported.
Broadcast schedules vary by station, as each independently selects programming from APT’s offerings. To enjoy this film in your community, check your local public television station’s listings for air dates and times, or contact your station directly to request they include BLUE in their lineup. Your voice can help bring George Rodrigue’s story to your screen! Learn more.
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| International Premiere during the Venice Film Festival | Award-winning North American Premiere during the New Orleans Film Festival |
Heavily influenced by the art of Andy Warhol, Rodrigue attended the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles in the 1960s before returning home to paint Louisiana. After two decades of celebrating Cajun culture on canvas in a way no American artist ever had, Rodrigue achieved commercial success by turning a Cajun folklore character known as the Loup-Garou into the iconic symbol of his later works.
From teaching himself to paint while bedridden with polio to being snubbed by art critics and museums for decades, to his valiant battles with Hurricane Katrina and cancer, George Rodrigue stayed true to his vision and in the process made us all happy to feel Blue.
The film offers an unprecedented, intimate portrait of George Rodrigue through exclusive interviews with his family, friends, curators, critics, collectors, and iconic personalities such as Emeril Lagasse, Drew Brees, James Carville, and former New Orleans mayor Marc Morial. It provides a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse into his life and artwork. This one-of-a-kind documentary also includes never-before-seen archive photos, newly restored and unreleased documentaries from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, captivating interviews with the artist himself, and features his final, deeply personal interview—making this film an essential tribute to Rodrigue’s indelible impact on art and culture.
Airing first as a tribute to his home state, the documentary premiered on December 8, 2024, on Louisiana Public Broadcasting and WLAE reaching audiences across Louisiana. Nationwide and broadcasts via American Public Television (APT) on PBS affiliates and other public television stations will begin in May 2025.
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New Orleans Film Festival – New Orleans, LA
North American Premiere
Official Selection; SOUTHERN FEATURE AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER
Southern Screen Festival – Lafayette, Louisiana
Official Selection
AMSTERDAM NEW CINEMA FILM FESTIVAL 2024 – Amsterdam, Netherlands
BEST DOCUMENTARY
The Bangkok Movie Awards – Bangok, Thailand
Best Director – Sean O’Malley; Best Producer – Trisha Reece; Documentary Film – Sean O’Malley; Film Poster – Sean O’Malley (Jay Sigl, Rachel Pace & Helen Sigur and, of course, George Rodrigue)
World Film Festival in Cannes – Remember the Future
Best Biographical Feature Film October 2024
Asian Talent International Film Festival 2024
Selected
IndieX Film Fest
Selected; Outstanding Achievement Award (Documentary Short) November 2024
Southeast Academy International Film Festival (SEAIFF)
Official Selection – Best Documentary – November 2024
Swedish International Film Festival
Official Selection
Athens Film Festival, Athens, Greece
Selected
Oniros Film Awards New York
Finalist
Doc Only, Copenhagen, Denmark
Nominee,
New York True Venture Film Festival
Selected
