{"id":18130,"date":"2024-10-09T18:08:40","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T23:08:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgerodrigue.com\/blog\/?page_id=18130"},"modified":"2026-04-14T07:54:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T12:54:29","slug":"documentary-film","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/georgerodrigue.com\/blog\/documentary-film\/","title":{"rendered":"Documentary Film"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cBlue \u2013 The Life and Art of George Rodrigue\u201d<\/strong> is the Emmy\u00ae-nominated and award-winning first-ever career-spanning documentary exploring the remarkable journey of legendary Louisiana artist George Rodrigue \u2014 creator of the iconic Blue Dog.<\/p>\n

The film has been officially nominated for the 2026 News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Regional Documentary<\/strong> (one of only five films selected nationwide). It previously won the 2025 Suncoast Regional Emmy Award<\/strong> for Best Cultural Documentary<\/strong>, along with a Silver Telly Award and the Southern Feature Audience Award at the New Orleans Film Festival.<\/p>\n

Created by the award-winning team at WLAE-TV and LAE Productions<\/a> (6th Street Studios) in association with O\u2019Malley Productions \u2014 the same producers behind acclaimed films such as Fats Domino: Walking Back to New Orleans, A Tribute to Toussaint, and Irma Thomas: The Soul Queen of New Orleans \u2014 this powerful documentary brings to life George Rodrigue\u2019s inspiring story of overcoming adversity, preserving Cajun culture, and achieving international acclaim as a pop art icon.<\/p>\n

National Emmy Nomination<\/h2>\n

In April 2026, \u201cBlue\u201d received its biggest national recognition yet: a nomination for the 2026 News & Documentary Emmy Award in the Outstanding Regional Documentary category<\/a>. This prestigious honor places the film among an elite group of only five regional documentaries chosen from across the country. The winners will be announced on May 28, 2026, at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.<\/p>\n

Where to Watch<\/h2>\n

BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue<\/strong> is now available on public television stations and can be streamed exclusively via the PBS Passport app through your local PBS affiliate.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To stream now, become a PBS member (usually starting at $5\/month) for Passport access\u2014visit PBS Passport<\/a> or your local station’s site. Or, download the PBS Passport app<\/a> to your phone or TV and sign in to your PBS account.<\/p>\n

Already a PBS member? Click BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue<\/a> to go directly to the film’s page on PBS.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Trailer and Additional Information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
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International Premiere during the Venice Film Festival<\/a><\/td>\n\u00a0Award-winning North American Premiere during the New Orleans Film Festival<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Posters Available via WLAE<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2014making this film an essential tribute to Rodrigue\u2019s indelible impact on art and culture.<\/p>\n

Stay updated on the film\u2019s release and events by following us on social media and subscribing to our newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rodrigue Blue Dog Film in Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

@RodrigueBlueDogFilm on Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

As Seen In<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Wall Street Journal<\/strong>
\nTelevision Review by John Anderson – \u2018BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue\u2019 Review: A Louisianian Painter on PBS<\/a><\/p>\n

CNN<\/strong>
\nHollywood Minute<\/a><\/p>\n

TV Guide<\/strong>
\nWhat’s Worth Watching<\/a><\/p>\n

Variety<\/strong>
\nTV News Roundup<\/a><\/p>\n

Entertainment Weekly
\n<\/strong>What To Watch<\/a><\/p>\n

Times Picayune<\/strong>
\n‘BLUE: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue’ to be introduced to a national audience on May 29<\/a><\/p>\n

Albuquerque Journal<\/strong>
\nPBS documentary delves into the life of artist George Rodrigue<\/a><\/p>\n

WWL-TV New Orleans<\/strong>
\nGeorge Rodrigue Documentary Available Nationally<\/a><\/p>\n

Honors and Awards<\/h2>\n
2026 News & Documentary EMMY\u00ae<\/sup> Awards
\n<\/strong>Nominee, Outstanding Regional Documentary<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
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\"\"EMMY\u00ae<\/sup> Awards – Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
\n<\/strong>Winner, Best Documentary – Cultural<\/p>\n

The Telly Awards
\n<\/strong>General-Documentary: Long Form
\nSilver Telly<\/p>\n

New Orleans Film Festival – New Orleans, LA<\/strong>
\nNorth American Premiere
\nOfficial Selection; SOUTHERN FEATURE AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER<\/p>\n

Southern Screen Festival – Lafayette, Louisiana<\/strong>
\nOfficial Selection<\/p>\n

AMSTERDAM NEW CINEMA FILM FESTIVAL 2024 – Amsterdam, Netherlands<\/strong>
\nBEST DOCUMENTARY<\/p>\n

The Bangkok Movie Awards – Bangok, Thailand<\/strong>
\nBest Director \u2013 Sean O\u2019Malley; Best Producer \u2013 Trisha Reece; Documentary Film \u2013 Sean O\u2019Malley; Film Poster \u2013 Sean O\u2019Malley (Jay Sigl, Rachel Pace & Helen Sigur and, of course, George Rodrigue)<\/p>\n

World Film Festival in Cannes – Remember the Future<\/strong>
\nBest Biographical Feature Film October 2024<\/p>\n

Asian Talent International Film Festival 2024<\/strong>
\nSelected<\/p>\n

IndieX Film Fest<\/strong>
\nSelected; Outstanding Achievement Award (Documentary Short) November 2024<\/p>\n

Southeast Academy International Film Festival (SEAIFF)<\/strong>
\nOfficial Selection – Best Documentary – November 2024<\/p>\n

Swedish International Film Festival<\/strong>
\nOfficial Selection<\/p>\n

Athens Film Festival, Athens, Greece<\/strong>
\nSelected<\/p>\n

Oniros Film Awards New York<\/strong>
\nFinalist<\/p>\n

Doc Only, Copenhagen, Denmark<\/strong>
\nNominee<\/p>\n

New York True Venture Film Festival<\/strong>
\nSelected<\/p>\n

Mpumalanga International Film Festival (South Africa)<\/strong>
\nSelected; Award Winner<\/p>\n

Niagara Canada International Film Festival<\/strong>
\nSelected<\/p>\n

Toronto Arts and Film Festival<\/strong>
\nSelected<\/p>\n

New York True Venture Film Festival<\/strong>
\nSelected<\/p>\n

Carmel International Film Festival<\/strong>
\nOfficial Selection<\/p>\n

New Estate Silkscreen Print Release<\/h2>\n

\"George<\/a><\/strong><\/em>To celebrate the release of Blue: The Life and Art of George Rodrigue<\/strong>, the Rodrigue family has introduced a special estate-stamped silkscreen print.<\/p>\n

Titled I\u2019m a Movie Star<\/strong><\/em>, this print reproduces a previously untitled mixed media work created by Rodrigue in 2010 and chosen as the film\u2019s official promotional image. Crafted on chrome paper, it marks the first time a Rodrigue mixed media on chrome has been reimagined as a silkscreen, preserving the original\u2019s vibrant qualities. Now available in sync with the documentary\u2019s PBS broadcast nationwide. A portion of the proceeds from sales of this print edition will benefit WLAE and their public television programming.<\/p>\n

This Estate Edition of 225 measures 21 x 26 inches and is available for purchase from Rodrigue Studios<\/a> or online<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cBlue \u2013 The Life and Art of George Rodrigue\u201d is the Emmy\u00ae-nominated and award-winning first-ever career-spanning documentary exploring the remarkable journey of legendary Louisiana artist George Rodrigue \u2014 creator of the iconic Blue Dog. The film has been officially nominated for the 2026 News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Regional Documentary (one of only […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-18130","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDocumentary Film - George Rodrigue Studios<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/georgerodrigue.com\/blog\/documentary-film\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Documentary Film - George Rodrigue Studios\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cBlue \u2013 The Life and Art of George Rodrigue\u201d is the Emmy\u00ae-nominated and award-winning first-ever career-spanning documentary exploring the remarkable journey of legendary Louisiana artist George Rodrigue \u2014 creator of the iconic Blue Dog. 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