Louisiana Grass Roots – A Short Documentary About Our Forgotten Prairie

Today we shine a spotlight on Louisiana Grass Roots, a compelling new documentary produced by Dr. Phyllis Baudoin Griffard and directed by Jillian Godshall. This film captures the voices of everyday Louisianians working to preserve our state’s environmental and cultural heritage, highlighting powerful grassroots movements shaping our future. Jillian and Phyllis join us to share the inspiration behind the documentary, the stories that moved them most, and why community-driven action matters now more than ever. This episode is also special on a personal note—Jan Swift’s daughter, Kelly, who works in the film industry at the Manship Theater, made this introduction. Even though we all live and work in the same region, this documentary brought us together in a way that highlights what community truly means in South Louisiana. About the Filmmakers – In Their Own Words Director Jillian Godshall began by expressing gratitude for the local connection that made this collaboration possible. “I am a filmmaker. I’m also an educator. I’ve been doing both for over 15 years at this point. It’s taken me all over the world. I’m really glad to be here in Lafayette doing that work as well.” Her background is deeply rooted in documentary storytelling: “My background in filmmaking is mostly in documentary filmmaking. I’ve worked on big budget, large scale reality TV show stuff—don’t tell anyone—and all the way down to where I feel most comfortable now, which is working on smaller-scale independent projects, having more of the creative leadership role, directing and being super involved in every aspect of production.” Jillian also teaches video editing to incarcerated students through an organization called The Last Mile: “I currently teach video editing to incarcerated students… and work with Phyllis, hang out with Phyllis, plant plants with Phyllis.” Producer Dr. Phyllis Baudoin Griffard shared her deep Louisiana roots and her global experience in science education: “I’m from Lafayette originally, grew up all over the South… I got a degree from USL in zoology and then went off to graduate school in biochemistry. I came back to Louisiana and started teaching at Xavier University, and I knew then that’s what I wanted to do.” Phyllis’ work has always focused on connecting people to the land and ecology around them: “Even as a biologist and teaching university students, I always was looking for local examples and to reconnect students outside the textbook to the biology that’s in their own backyard.” She emphasized the importance of place in identity: “When I came home, I heard French, I heard the music—you can really connect to this place.” The Origin of Louisiana Grass Roots: A Story Rooted in Place, Memory, and Rediscovery Jillian and Phyllis did not come together through a traditional film industry channel; they were united through a local experience that awakened something deeper. Phyllis explains that after returning to Lafayette and connecting with the Acadiana Master Naturalist Program, she began to understand the importance of the Cajun Prairie through firsthand fieldwork. “One of the topics is about the Cajun prairie… I had learned about the prairie, and I knew about it more from when we lived in Texas, because the people in and around Houston just ooh and ah about the prairie scientists we have over here: Larry Allen, Charles Allen and Malcolm Vidrine, who discovered what they have since called the Cajun Prairie. 2.5 million acres. Most of Southwest Louisiana was part of this prairie, which only less than 1% exists today.” It was during a field trip with the Master Naturalists that she crossed paths with Jillian: “I led one of the field trips and found out that Jill was a filmmaker, and I happened to say, ‘Oh, I just finished doing a film, The Quiet Cajuns, with Conni Castille.’ And her ears perked up and she said, ‘Well, I think we should make a film about the prairie.’” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA9xoYHoFKU Within two days, Jillian reached out to move the idea forward. It wasn’t a casual suggestion—it became a movement. Funding the Vision: Community as Catalyst Unlike many documentaries dependent on outside institutions, Louisiana Grassroots was made possible by local belief in the story. Jillian said: “We were filming this project for over two years and had such incredible support from people along the way to make it possible. It’s one of the better-funded small projects I’ve worked on, in large part because of the support of the community, because of Phyllis’ know-how and ability to communicate these ideas to the average person.” Phyllis detailed those early grant efforts: “The first grant we got was from the Acadiana Center for the Arts. We convinced them that we have this natural heritage around us that most of us, just because of modern life, are very disconnected from. We don’t really know what the land ...