Brennan Robideaux always knew he wanted to pick up a camera, and he taught himself how to use it.
The St. Thomas More graduate went to the University of New Orleans for a semester, and he came back home to do what he loved.
He filmed his first documentary called Blacksmith. It was about a guy who went into business for himself at a young age.
Ironically, he was starting up his own brand. The film went on to win an award, but shortly after he was looking for another guy to tell a story on.
He opened a newspaper and found one of the best athletes in the area, Armond Duplantis.
“I found this article early in the morning on a local kid,” said Robideaux. “Duplantis had a story that jumped out to me, and instantly thought it was special.”
The idea was there, but Robideaux needed some funds for his journey. So, he did everything in his power so he could be there for Duplantis.
“We were rallying extra bucks to get to Europe,” said Robideaux. “I was flying on credit card points, eating peanut butter out of the jar, and sleeping on the floor in Duplantis hotel room. I didn’t want to miss the moment of him breaking the record.”
If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment. Robideaux was worried that if Duplantis didn’t win it would be a failure but realized the journey is what makes the story.
“Some of the most important parts of the film is that he had to overcome some obstacles,” said Robideaux. “It was some of the losses that propelled him to be the world record holder.”
Years later, the film Born To Fly is finished and it's won awards in Dallas and New Orleans. On Saturday, he gets to see his work play in front of a sold-out crowd in his hometown at the Southern Screen Festival.
“It’s an incredible feeling, “said Robideax. “For a while, it felt like I was never going to finish the film, now I get to sit with an audience and enjoy what I have put together.
You can see the film this Saturday at the Southern Screen Festival. The movie will start at 6:45 P.M.