Charles E. Richard

In my films, I usually go by the name of C.E. Richard, but most of my friends call me Charles or Charlie. I'm an "established" filmmaker (Which is to say I'm a little older than I realize sometimes and no longer a young phenom that everybody used to describe as "promising!") I've never really taken the time to establish a good presence on IMDB, but I know I should. It's just something I never seem to get around to.

Over the years, I've made some two dozen films, most of them being documentaries, and most of those for PBS. Overall, I'm best known as a writer and producer, but I'm happy to say that I'm doing more and more directing these days.

Lately, the film industry has just ballooned here where I live in Louisiana, thanks to very generous tax incentives. So, a few years back, I was recruited to create a new film department the University of Louisiana. That's in the town of Lafayette, right in the heart of French Louisiana (so-called "Cajun Country.") But I wanted to establish a university program that covers more than just conventional movie making. The end result has been an interdisciplinary curriculum that provides a comprehensive address of any creative expression using motion pictures. That means everything from animation to advertising, narrative films to experimental pieces, video game design to music videos to web series. Anything that uses motion pictures. So now I oversee about a hundred young people seeking a four-year undergraduate degree in "Moving Image Arts." The program is only about two years old, but I'm very proud of the young artists that are emerging from our department. Keep an eye out for a bunch of young hot shot filmmakers coming out of Cajun Country soon!

So now, instead of the "promising young phenom" I used to be, I'm the mentor instructing those new kids earning that title. (I just wish I had been half as good as some of these students when I was 19 or 20 years old!)

Teaching is important to me, but, in the end, I'm still a film maker first and foremost. Right now I'm embarking on my most ambitious project yet. If you'd like to learn more about it, drop me a line!

--charles