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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 72
BY SENATOR PEACOCK
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend the creators of the film, The Five Priests, on being honored as an Official
Selection and Monthly Winner at the Cannes World Film Festival for independent
filmmakers along with twenty-six other international festivals of note.
WHEREAS, The Five Priests, a full-length documentary that recounts the lives of
five Roman Catholic priests who died in the 1873 Yellow Fever epidemic in Shreveport and
are now Servants of God in the Vatican canonization process, has been honored as an
Official Selection and Monthly Winner at the Cannes World Film Festival for independent
filmmakers along with twenty-six other international festivals of note; and
WHEREAS, the film was produced by the Louisiana State University-Shreveport
Foundation in conjunction with the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, and directed by Chris
Charles Scott of Strategery Films in Las Vegas, Nevada; and
WHEREAS, the film features the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States (the Vatican
ambassador), Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Bishop Francis Malone of the Diocese of
Shreveport, Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins, Father Peter Mangum of the Cathedral of St.
John Berchmans, local author W. Ryan Smith, and Dr. Cheryl White, history professor at
Louisiana State University-Shreveport; and
WHEREAS, the documentary is based upon the book, Shreveport Martyrs of 1873:
The Surest Path to Heaven, authored by Mangum, Smith, and White, and published by The
History Press in October 2021; and
WHEREAS, The Five Priests premiered at the Strand Theatre in Shreveport on
November 4, 2021, and has been enjoying critical acclaim during the current international
film festival season; and
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WHEREAS, to date, The Five Priests is also the winner of Best Feature
Documentary at the European Film Festival; Best Documentary, Best Idea for a
Documentary, and Best Cinematography in a Documentary at the World Independent
Cinema Awards Los Angeles; Best Short Documentary at the Barcelona International Film
Festival; Diamond Award for Best Documentary Feature at the SoCal Film Awards; Gold
Award for Feature Documentary at the Spotlight Documentary Awards; Award of
Excellence at the Indie Fest Film Festival; Honorable Mention: Documentary Feature at the
Los Angeles Film Awards; Finalist Feature Documentary at the Texas Film Festival; and
Semi-Finalist Feature Documentary at the New York International Film Awards; and
WHEREAS, additionally, the film is currently an Official Selection of the Rome
Prisma Independent Film Festival, and the Nieves International Christian Film Festival.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
recognize and congratulate the creators of the film, The Five Priests, on their multiple award
winnings, in addition to being honored as an Official Selection and Monthly Winner at the
Cannes World Film Festival for independent filmmakers along with twenty-six other
international festivals of note.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Louisiana State University-Shreveport Foundation and the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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