Jacksonville couple spreads laughter amid grim times with this weekend's LOL JAX
Monique and Adam Madrid know about the headlines, the stories on cable TV: War, pandemic, inflation, political strife, an overheating planet.
"It just makes you feel like there’s no hope in this world," Monique said. "I talk to people who say, 'I'd hate to raise children these days. And older people say, 'I don’t know what's become of the world today.'"
The Madrids understand, really. And there are things to be done about all that.
But for now, how about a laugh? How about some chuckles, as a way to overcome some of the seriousness in life? Maybe that's what's needed.
LOL JAX: Love Our Locals by Laughing Out Loud
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And that's what the Madrids have been providing since 2017 with the LOL JAX Film Festival, a showcase for short local comedy films and stand-up comedians. A regular sell-out, the festival moves to bigger digs Saturday and Sunday with activities taking place at WJCT's studios at 100 Festival Park Ave. across from TIAA Bank Field.
Tickets are $20 and details can be found at loljax.com.
All about the laughs and locals
The festival started taking on life as the Madrids watched a local film showcase at the Sun-Ray Cinema in Riverside. Look at all that talent, Monique thought.
So she turned to her husband and said, "'What if we did a comedy film festival?' He took a day to think on it, then said yes. And we decided we were always going to make it about locals," she said.
The next year the first LOL Jax Film Festival sold out at the Sun-Ray.
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They kept the festival going, even through the first couple of years of the pandemic when they put all manner of safety protocols in place and no one.
After successful venues such as Sun-Ray and the Museum of Science and History, it moves to WJCT this year and will feature filmmaker Q&S, stand-up comedians, music, food trucks and vendors.
The LOL, the Madrids say, stands for "Love Our Locals" as well as "Laughing Out Loud" — in keeping with their emphasis on local funny people.
Adam is 40, born in California, though he's lived in Jacksonville most of his life. "I bleed teal. I'm Duval 'til we die." He started a film production company, Argyle Forest Films, with friends while still a teen and now does video and editing for PRI Productions.
Monique is 39, a military brat who moved around frequently but also considers Jacksonville her home. She works in human resources. "My passion is giving back to my community," she said. " I couldn’t find a way until Adam introduced me to his film world. Then it clicked.”
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The Madrids, who live on the Westside, are also involved in the 48 Hour Film Project, longtime contributors (winners in 2014) who are now the festival's producers.
Their goal is to show off all the local talent that's in Jacksonville, something they've seen in both the LOL festival and the 48 Hour contest.
Host Jenn Weeks
Each year's LOL event has been hosted by Jenn Weeks, who for the past 24 years has worked in the "the retirement benefits sector" but who is also a stand-up comedian — a talent that was discovered 12 years ago when she started joking about men while on a woman's church trip to Savannah, Ga.
That led to a 15-minute invite to do stand-up at a Jacksonville club (terrifying, she said), and then a series of regular gigs in years since.
Many people don't realize how much creative talent exists in Jacksonville, Weeks said. She was once one of them.
“Until I got into the creative community, I didn’t realize it either," she said. "We have top-notch talent in this city. I am blown away by the level of talent we have here.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: LOL comedy festival in Jacksonville touts locals and laughter
