Attend Film Prize in-person October 16-17th or watch online starting October 15th, watch all 20 short films, and then you can vote for the grand prize winner of $50,000 cash. Plus you can vote for the best acting performance category!
On the cusp of adulthood, A 19-year-old woman who keeps putting off her life is forced into action when her grandfather stops putting off his, setting her on a journey to find him… and ultimately herself.
Produced by Mark D. Bonner, Crystal Woodford, M.R. Jordan
Starring Rachel Dupard, Kadar Wesley Price, Stan Brown, Tianne K. Johnson
Cinematography by Michael Street
Edited by Evan Bushkar
Music by King Sis, Audiora, Dew of Light
Mark D. Bonner is a Shreveport-born writer, director, actor, and producer whose films explore identity, family, and the quiet courage it takes to become yourself. His character-driven work is rooted in the people and places of the South, which resonates across the country, with stories that feel specific to where they come from and true to anyone who watches them. With Carolina Blue, Bonner returns to the Red River and to an intimate, emotionally honest story about memory, belonging, and the people who help us find our way home.
Coming Soon
At its core, Carolina Blue is about the lives we keep putting off. At nineteen, Carolina stands at the beginning of adulthood, yet she has already learned to tell herself “tomorrow.” Her grandfather Willie is at the opposite end of that journey, recognizing in Carolina a pattern he knows too well.
Family is central to her discovery. Carolina has inherited both her mother’s fear and her grandfather’s desire to dream. Both come from love, but both have shaped how she sees herself and the world. Her younger brother Max reflects another struggle: following his father’s example, he seeks attention from strangers online, often documenting life instead of experiencing it.
Visually, I wanted the film to move toward light. Carolina begins before an unfinished painting of the Red River sunset, another thing she has postponed, and gradually finds her way to the real thing.
Ultimately, Carolina Blue is about deciding what we inherit, what we leave behind, and whether we keep waiting for tomorrow. Willie cannot reclaim the years he postponed. Carolina still can.
— Mark D. Bonner
