HumidCity

For those who are unaware I blog for the Open Society Institute on the Webby Award winning website Katrina: An UnNatural Disaster.  I do not often tout my posts there on HumidCity but today I am making an exception.

One of the projects partially funded by a Fellowship from OSI is a little film you might have heard of: Trouble The Water. Late yesterday evening I received word that it has been shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.

Full Details are in my post for the day over there. Please stop by and shcademy are your thoughts!

-Loki, HumidCity Founder

Pardon me while I self publicize… Three years in the making, my first book is now available at Blurb. You can view the commercial here.

UPDATE! It just gets better!

Just two days after releasing the lower ninth ward: K+36 on Blurb, they contacted me for their Take 5 Tuesday interview on the Blurberati Blog! I’m positively dizzy!

(This just came to us via Paul, Helen’s husband. Help pass it around, and remember not to forget. - Loki HumidCity Founder)

Hi,

this is Paul Gailiunas.  I just found out that CBS is showing a documentary about Helen and also about Dinnerral Shavers tonight (Saturday).  It was made and aired last year and it is being shown for a second time tonight, at 9 pm Eastern and Pacific Time (which might mean 8 pm New Orleans time, I’m not certain).  The person who killed Helen has still not been found.  If you can send this email to anyone else who might want to watch it, please forward it.

Thank you,
Paul

Collaborative Local Filmmaking Effort to Present Duality of Life in Post-Katrina New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS — In a new approach to telling stories from the front lines of post-Katrina New Orleans, the New Orleans Video Access Center (NOVAC) has collaborated with local filmmakers to produce a series of short documentaries on the people, culture and spirit that make New Orleans an American city worth rebuilding. In addition, NOVAC is producing a one-hour documentary called The Drive. It’s an extensive driving tour through four of New Orleans’ most devastated neighborhoods supported with maps, interviews, and an original score by Emmy nominated composer, Gil Talmi (http://www.giltalmi.com/ ).

“A painful irony is how few people throughout the country understand the extent of what has happened to New Orleans. In many respects, things are progressing. Families are moving home, cultural activities are abundant and, in some neighborhoods, life has a sense of near normalcy; however, a short drive in almost any direction provides a
different picture. The magnitude of flooding was incomprehensible and nearly 10 months later, New Orleans has many challenges to overcome. We hope that this project conveys the duality of life in post-Katrina New Orleans and presents New Orleans as a city worth rebuilding,” says Tim Ryan, NOVAC director/producer.

The documentaries are available for free viewing on YouTube.com -
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8080681AD2517F7E  (keyword:
NOVACDOC).

The entire series is also available on DVD at cost ($4.75 + shipping)
through a partnership with Customflix.com - http://www.customflix.com/210796 .

In addition, FriendsofNewOrleans.org - http://www.friendsofneworleans.org/ - a non-profit devoted to the rebuilding of New Orleans, features a trailer of The Drive on their website.

The project is funded by the Greater New Orleans Foundation; Newman’s Own Foundation; The RosaMary Foundation; Matt, Suzanne, Andy and Betty Wisdom; Cambridge Community Television; and other private funders. NOVAC continues to accept tax-deductible donations to support ongoing production.

For more information and links to view project, visit http://www.novacvideo.org/