UnLonely Film Festival 6
17 Year Locust
When a struggling immigrant takes a job as a caregiver to a dying woman, she shares with him a secret that casts a haunting shadow on the American life that he has desperately been pursuing.
Consider This
Watch this video to explore the film’s meaning and major themes a bit more. Talking with others about a shared arts experience can enrich our perspectives. Share your thoughts in the comment section, below!
Meet the Filmmaker
What is their why?
“South Louisiana has been fortunate enough to maintain its cultural identity for many generations. At the heart of that culture is the French language. Sadly, this integral part of my heritage is slowly fading away. 50 years ago, there where an estimated one million French speakers in Louisiana. Today that number has dwindled down to a mere 100,000. René and Odile are total and complete strangers until their paths cross; the French language being the thread that connects them. Through the character René, we see the struggles of American culture, but from the perspective of an outsider. Assimilation is something that we’re pushed to accept. We’re told that it’s a patriotic duty, but in reality, it can be a sacrifice that fundamentally changes who a person truly is, rippling out to future generations. This film is dedicated to those moving forward, but still find themselves looking back.”
Logan LeBlanc is a writer, director and cinematographer based in Louisiana. After working in the camera department on several features and music videos, he decided to become a full time cinematographer. He’s since written, directed, and photographed several narrative, documentary, music video and commercial projects. He’s been fortunate enough to make work as a filmmaker for over fifteen years now and cannot wait to see the next project that finds him.
Join the Conversation
When in your life have you been forced to assimilate? What difficult choices did it require you to make?
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Explore More
Frankie
Frankie, a non-binary trans person, crashes their ex-partner’s men-only 12-step meeting, determined to be heard… no matter the cost. 10:30 mins.
Spring Chicken
Anny Junek, a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor, is the three-time champion of her Israeli retirement home’s annual Purim costume contest (a Smurf, a doctor, and a handyman).
Steve
A conscience-stricken Vietnam veteran seeks happiness.

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Connect Through Film
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My Irish ancestors (surname Shaughnessy/O’Shaughnessy were forced to assimilate during the potatoe famine that created mass starvation among the Irish potatoe farming family clans. My whole life I have felt a terrible homesickness and a strange sense of Longing for Belonging . . . a stranger in a very strange land. I so resonate with the message of this film as well as the whole issue of “unwanted pregnancy” . . . being . . . “pregnant out of wedlock” and all the suffering related to the stigmata of simply being so to speak . . . “inducted” into something called “The Great American Dream” . . . . for a multitude of “immigrants” being a terrifying nightmare from which we are only beginning to existentially . . . Awaken . . . Arise . . . and Ascend.