King Cake: A Big Easy Story

2014· 120 min· Documentary

The world knows the New Orleans Mardi Gras for the one dimensional aspect of what the big conglomerated media display it to be. And although boobs, beads and beer is one slice of the pie, it is not the entire pie. It is in fact, simply one slice that has been taken and marketed to the masses for decades, in the same way Las Vegas has been marketed to the masses, which is with one main goal that every tourist destination has, to keep the party going! This has all been done with good intent no doubt but in this documentary we'll break past that shallow spring break fever and show you the origins of Mardi Gras and allow you to discover the depth behind it and find out why they call it "the greatest free show on Earth". You'll journey back through time and see how Mardi Gras takes root in the Big Easy 156 years ago and blossoms to become known as the epicenter of the Carnival celebration in the new world.

Cast: James Gandolfini, John Goodman, James Belushi, Andy Garcia

Director: Will Hess