Korean filmmakers document Acadia Parish rice operations

Image
Body

Two Korean filmmakers have been in the south Louisiana area conducting interviews and shooting video as part of a documentary about rice production throughout the world.
“We want to talk about the history of U.S. rice so viewers will know the chain of the U.S. rice industry,” said Timothy Hong.
Hong and videographer Hero Cho shot footage of rice being prepared at Mother’s Restaurant in New Orleans, and they met with several area farmers and the head of a local rice mill.
“Yesterday we ate six different ways rice is cooked,” Cho said.
Hong said other crews are conducting interviews and shooting video in other rice-producing countries including South Korea, India, China, Vietnam, Egypt, Spain, Italy and Japan. The LSU AgCenter is providing video from the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station near Crowley.
Hong and Cho will also shoot more video in the rice growing region of California, and in South Carolina where rice was introduced originally into the U.S. in the 1600s.
The four-part documentary by Shin Productions, in cooperation with the Korea Communications Agency, is scheduled to air in early 2021.
At the Zaunbrecher brothers’ farm near Crowley, they interviewed Fred Zaunbrecher in a grain bin and next to a rice field that will be used for crawfish. They rode in Christian Richard’s combine and interviewed him as he was harvesting a second crop of rice at his farm near Indian Bayou.
Richard explained the importance of these practices and how sustainability is an integral part of the industry’s commitment of continually striving to improve efficiencies in conservation and sustainability for the next generation.
After wrapping up the first day of filming, Richard and his wife, Julie, hosted the crew for a dinner of crawfish étouffée, prepared by Jude Richard, Christian’s father. Also, farmers Fred Zaunbrecher and Michael Fruge joined the group to offer more insight into the culture that makes the Louisiana rice industry unique.
At the Thibodeaux farm near Midland, they shot more footage with a drone to show the logistics of shipping and receiving rice and ongoing prep work to ready the fields for next year’s crop. Farmer Randy Thibodeaux gave an interview describing his family’s operation and sharing his father’s old photographs of harvest being done with threshing equipment.
The rice milling segment of the documentary was filmed at Supreme Rice Mill in Crowley where Bobby Hanks, Supreme chief executive officer, explained the milling process. Hanks, current chair of USA Rice, also talked about the role the national trade association — representing farmers, millers, merchants, and allied businesses — to ensure the health and vitality of a unified U.S. rice industry.
“We did not expect to have all of these opportunities when we originally planned our trip,” said Hong. “When we told our bosses about the footage we got covering the various aspects of rice production and the people we were able to interview, they were elated and even more confident the documentary would truly reflect the ‘Rice Road’ portion of the U.S. and North America.”