Why Movies Are Filmed on Bayous: Exploring a Louisiana Bayou on Location

Float virtually with Kelli down a Louisiana bayou and discover why filmmakers use these mysterious waterways. Explore wildlife, history, and bayou movies.

Bayou Desiard, Monroe, Louisiana.

Hop in a boat and float down the bayou with our founder, Kelli, as she visits her home state of Louisiana!

On this live virtual tour, you'll take a short ride down Bayou Desiard (pronounced duh-seared). Along the way, you'll

• learn about bayous and their functions

• see indigenous trees and maybe an alligator (!)

• discover why certain movies are filmed on or near these mystical bodies of water

This free virtual tour was held on Facebook Live. Check out more virtual tours.

Watch Video: Movies on the Bayou, Live in Louisiana

In this unique blend of nature tour and film history lesson, Kelli explores the ecology and culture of Bayou Desiard in Monroe, Louisiana.

Learn the differences between bayous, marshes, and swamps; meet the iconic bald cypress trees draped in Spanish moss; and discover how these waterways support wildlife and help control flooding.

Along the way, Kelli highlights seven films that feature bayous, including Eve's Bayou, The Princess and the Frog, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Hatchet. Through these examples, you'll see how filmmakers use bayous to evoke mystery, spirituality, danger, hidden secrets, and even refuge—making them some of cinema's most evocative landscapes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR50PguQPes