Trombone Shorty documentary wins award

The Beverly Hills Shorts Fest has honored Eric Alan Donaldson and L. Lonnie Peralta with the award for Best Documentary for the film they co-directed, produced and edited, “Trombone Shorty.” Associate producer on the project was Joan Myers, of Myers Media who brought the project to them.
The filmmaking duo own and operate production and post-production studio FXF Productions in Venice, CA. Los Angeles natives and friends since seventh grade, the partners teamed up in high school to shoot their first music video. Since then they have gone on to work on a variety of projects together that include action sports films, music videos, commercials and documentaries.
“Trombone Shorty” is an after-the-storm-look at New Orleans' next generation musical prodigy, Troy (Trombone Shorty) Andrews. From the historic, yet troubled Treme neighborhood, where brass bands, jazz and the tradition of second line is a way of life, this 22-year-old has worked tirelessly to beat the odds so he can do what he loves most – play his horn.
Even before he had an instrument, Andrews would emulate the great jazz musicians of New Orleans’ past by using a cardboard box as a snare drum or his Big Wheel as a tuba.
Donaldson and Peralta spent five days in New Orleans with Andrews, capturing his everyday life and getting a first-hand look at the post Katrina devastation.
“Troy Andrews is blessed with the gift of musical ear play and performance,” says Donaldson, “The hardest part of capturing the true brilliance of who he is in a short, is deciding what to cut.”
Andrews played for Bo Diddley at the age of five. After finishing eighth grade, he was admitted a year early to the prestigious New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, where alumni include Wynton and Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr.
Troy Andrews says, “There’s only 5% of the world, or 10% at most of people that really get a chance to do what they really want to do, and I happen to be a part of that. That’s the ultimate blessing right there.”