Katrina Documentary "Desert Bayou" Picks Up Political Steam
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Film Fuels Discussion of Government Failure, Lingering Racial and
Socio-Ecomomic Issues
Less than two weeks after its theatrical premiere in New York,
director Alex LeMay's and producer Percy 'Master P' Miller's "Desert
Bayou" has attracted a flurry of interest from the NAACP, the American
Civil Liberties Union and Appleseed, as well as leaders in the African
American community including Donna Brazile, Congressman Edolphus Towns
(D-NY) and Reverend Al Sharpton.
The feature length documentary tells the story of the 600 African
Americans who were airlifted out of New Orleans after the floods,
shipped to Utah without their knowledge, subjected to three identity
checks and then housed at an isolated military base. Although the
people flown to Utah were a small percentage of those displaced --
estimates are between 645,000 and 1 million -- their story is
emblematic of some painful truths about race, religion and poverty in
America. The documentary features Master P, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and
families displaced by the storm.
"For all of us whose loved ones and friends suffered through Katrina,
'Desert Bayou' is another reminder of how badly our government failed
the citizens of New Orleans - and how much we need to do," says New
Orleans native Donna Brazile, the political commentator and Gore 2000
campaign manager. Brazile shared the story of her search for her New
Orleans-based family in the wake of the hurricane in a 2006 Vanity
Fair article.
On Wednesday, October 24, 2007, Brazile, The American Civil Liberty
Union, Appleseed and The Raben Group are co-hosting an advance
screening of the film in Washington D.C.
Congressman Edolphus Towns (D-NY) says the film "highlights the best
and worst of America, and I hope this important film will motivate all
of us to do better."
One year after the storm, an estimated 197,000 New Orleans evacuees
were still displaced. Of those, 70% were African-American and 38% were
living below the poverty line.
With so many still displaced from their homes, Master P is taking an
active role in the film's distribution to draw attention to the
indignity of those still displaced by Katrina. Master P's parents
lived in New Orleans during the storm, and his search for them led him
from Salt Lake City to Alabama, where he ultimately found them.
In addition to hosting premiere and fundraising events, the film's
producers and distributor will contribute a percentage of receipts to
a non-profit organization that will go towards the rebuilding of New
Orleans.
"Percy 'Master P' Miller uses his celebrity to bring much needed
attention to 'Desert Bayou,' an important film that gives us a unique
look at race relations in America and the impact Hurricane Katrina had
on the community and culture of New Orleans," says Vicangelo Bulluck,
the Executive Director of NAACP Hollywood Bureau. He adds, "It serves
as a reminder that many of those who were displaced will never find
their way back home."
The film began its theatrical release on October 5, 2007 in New York
City, which was proclaimed "Desert Bayou Day" by City Council members
in recognition of the humanitarian cause the film takes on for the
people of New Orleans. It was the highest grossing film to run at the
Village East theatre that weekend. The film is rolling out in
nationwide limited platform release and will start October 26th, 2007
in Washington DC at AMC/Lowes Dupont 5. Cinema Libre Studio is
theatrically distributing the film nationwide in a limited platform
release in association with Taproot Productions, Take A Stand Films
and Processing Production.
For a complete list of theatres, visit http://www.desertbayoumovie.com/
Cinema Libre Studio -- is a Los Angeles based production/distribution
company known for distributing social issues films including
'OutFoxed," "Uncovered: The War on Iraq," and "Giuliani Time." The
company is currently producing a feature length documentary on global
poverty. For more information, visit http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/
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