Baton Rouge physician’s passion for chess leads to the big lights of Cannes

A Baton Rouge-based physician’s passion for chess has led him to the glitz and glamor of Cannes.

Greg Ward served as the executive producer for “Building Minds with Chess,” a short film that has been selected to screen at the Diversity in Cannes showcase this week.

Speaking ahead of his trip to the French Riviera, Ward said he was over the moon at the film’s selection.

“I’m excited on one hand,” he said. “It’s almost like an out of body experience.”

Ward became involved with film in a roundabout way, attending a writers conference at New Orleans’ Monteleone Hotel in 2014.

“I was interested in writing a children’s book at the time,” he said. “My friend said … you know, we’re working on a movie right now. Why don’t you get involved at this level? One thing led to another.”

Building Minds with Chess is a 10-minute film featuring Swedish chess grandmaster Pontus Carlsson. It’s not the first chess-related film Ward has worked on — he was also involved with “The Opera Game,” which was written by fellow Building Minds with Chess executive producer Ken Mask.

A keen chess player himself, Ward said there were many aspects of the game that appealed, including its use in education and in schools.

“It’s cross-cultural, it’s international, it crosses socio-political lines,” he said.

Attending Cannes is just one of Ward’s many achievements. The physical medicine and rehabilitation physician has presented in places as exotic as Cairo and has appeared on various TV shows, including The Weather Channel. He is also a talented jazz musician.

The film will screen on May 22. Diversity in Cannes, the brainchild of Yolonda Brinkley, is an independent showcase that promotes inclusion at the Cannes Film Festival.