late fall 2006 series

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast. We all know a few facts. Over 200,000 people displaced. Nearly 2000 dead.

We all remember a few moments. Kanye said George Bush doesn't care about black people. Nagin called the local radio and said he was pissed. Bush complimented Brownie on a heckuva job.

We can't forget the images. HELP painted on roofs. The light in the Superdome and the lines outside. The tears.

But while Katrina blew over, the story has not. Its telling has only just begun, through a year-long accumulation of anecdotes, photographs, interviews, books, and films. Many of these single efforts, taken together, may eventually convey the scope of what is now understood to be one of the cruelest man-made disasters in the history of the United States.

The series begins with a program of short films. A National Guardsman returns from Iraq to discover a locked-down city. Elvis Costello joins Allen Toussaint in a recording session in the Ninth Ward. This evening includes archival selections, hip hop responses, and surprises… the DVD’s are burning.

Next up is Spike Lee’s acclaimed When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, a thorough cinematic analysis of the event’s socioeconomic, ecological and political conditions. A mix of on-site interviews with residents and sit-down sessions with experts, Lee’s film critiques managerial ineptitude without neglecting the pain and hope of everyday people.

Dark Water Rising: The Truth About Hurricane Katrina Animal Rescue provides an on-the-ground account of volunteers who wade into toxic water to save starving pets left behind by their owners. The film investigates the culture of rescue: renegades claim their own territory in defiance of national organizations, and we see how hard it was for these people to survive each day in the midst of widespread destruction and animal suffering.

Desert Bayou tells the almost unbelievable story of over 600 mostly African-American New Orleanians airlifted to Utah. Families plant roots in the alien landscape; others plan their return home. The short film, South of Ten, an ennobling re-enactment of quiet recovery along the Gulf Coast, will also screen.

This series was curated by Jason Livingston with the assistance of Emily Goldman of Cornell’ s Historic Preservation Program. Cosponsored with the Dept. of City and Regional Planning.

Images from (top to bottom): Dark Water Rising; When the Levees Broke