Director Lily Keber's Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker closes this year's 24th Annual New Orleans Film Festival, playing at the Civic Theatre on Thursday, October 17 7:00p.

On October 8, tickets go on sale to general public.

The film, according to the festival's description, "traces Booker’s life from his early years as a chart-topping child prodigy, his star-studded years playing as a sideman, through to his outrageous solo career characterized by onstage performances in his underwear, dishing out drug-fueled conspiracy theories. Featuring interviews with the likes of Harry Connick Jr., Irma Thomas and Allen Toussaint and a generous helping of archival footage, the film brings to life the unforgettable story of this amazing musician." As WWOZ show host David Kunian writes in the October issue of OffBeat ("Why Does James Booker Matter?"): "Booker’s music is dense and dark and brilliant and happy and epic and emotional—sometimes just in one song. It is unique, marked by extreme creativity. No one has ever played the piano like Booker."