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Rising from Ruins is now complete, on its way to its Canadian broadcaster. And the Sundance Channel will televise the "Two-Lane Search for Mom & Pop" twice in December (December 8th and 15th). The Independent America franchise is alive and well!
Well at least according to this theory presented in Newsweek.
I may live in Seattle, but I don't love Starbucks (neither its coffee nor its expansionist policies). That may also be evident from my films...
So if this theory holds water, this must mean that New Orleans will recover quickly economically as Starbucks didn't quite return to a neighborhood or two out there after Katrina. I'm looking forward to having a coffee and croissant at my fave Croissant D'or Patisserie, just around the corner from what has become my home away from home this year, the Hotel Provincial -- as I return to New Orleans for a "Rising from Ruins" film preview this Thursday.
My last few days in New Orleans -- replete with successful test showings of "Rising from Ruins" and having to contend with Gustav -- have been quite instructive.
At first, I was concerned with how Gustav might change the Katrina narrative of the film. The answer: they complement each other. During the Q&A's after our screenings, I got a strong dose of this growing self-reliance in the Katrina Zone. That folks don't trust big institutions (governments or companies) to save their bacon, and that they need to rely on their own independent judgment and resources to make crucial decisions.
LOUIS ARMSTRONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, New Orleans
I’ve spent the last 24 hours staying “connected” with New Orleans even as I plan my own departure.
The impending hurricane forced us to cancel our world premiere last night. But we still had to “contingency” screenings – the latest one right after Mayor Ray Nagin’s press conference declaring Gustav to be the “mother of all storms.”
I noticed a starkly different “feel” to Thursday’s screening, compared to last night. Thursday, “Katrina” was still the working premise, part of the city’s most obvious vocabulary. Now Gustav may supplant it, and it’ll be interesting to see how I’ll have to modify my film to fit this potential new reality.
UPDATE 08.30.08: My flight is still good for tomorrow. I'm going to spend today with local journalist Ariella Cohen from CityBusiness as she reports on the voluntary evacuation. One way or another, Gustav adds to my film, and I need to gather additional elements to tell this story. We may even attempt a small house party premiere tonight if there's anyone left in the city. My hotel closes tomorrow at noon, and I intend to give myself at least 3 hours to get to the airport (normally a 20 minute drive). Shades of Baghdad!
Geez, I thought I had escaped a life's sentence in breaking news when I left my career in TV journalism a few years back. All I wanted was to premiere our Katrina-related documentary here in New Orleans tomorrow. And, now, on the 3rd anniversary of that terrible disaster, Gustav has forced us to cancel the event.
To protect ourselves, we held a "sneak preview" screening last night at Fair Grinds coffeehouse. Happily, folks were thrilled with this outsider's view of their city, so it looks like I hit the mark. It'll be interesting to see how these last few days might play into a final cut of the film.
The film premiere of Independent America: Rising from Ruins, is up for grabs right now with Gustav gathering strength and heading to the Gulf of Mexico Once local officials get a handle on the hurricane's path, they may issue a 48-hour evacuation notice. The New Orleans Institute has just canceled the day-long conference, but we intend to go ahead with the Saturday evening screenings unless we need to evacuate.
I'm ready either way. I brought my camera, waterproof gear, and even my Pentax W60 waterproof point & shoot -- which I may call into duty if I need to re-start production of a film that won't end (as we like to say in the MCDM program, "permanently beta"). Or we have the premiere as scheduled with even more to discuss.
Got into New Orleans safely this morning. My carbon fiber tripod somehow missed the connection in Houston (steady shots are overrated), but Hertz upgraded me to a Trailblazer, which I might need if Hurricane Gustav ends up tracking this way.
Here's our official press release for the premiere:
For Immediate Release, August 27, 2008
“NEW DOCUMENTARY ON SMALL-BUSINESS STRUGGLE IN NEW
ORLEANS DEBUTS ON KATRINA ANNIVERSARY”
Bruce Foret has spent the three years since Hurricane Katrina struggling to rebuild Oak Street Hardware in New Orleans. His city is at a tipping point: parts of it still look like a war zone, the recovery slowed down by a bad economy and depopulation. But he refuses to abandon his neighborhood, even as city hall is paving the way for big box stores to enter the local market.
A new film documents the risks small business owners took in resurrecting their neighborhoods and the threats they now face. Independent America: Rising from Ruins debuts Saturday at “New Orleans Speaks: We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For,” a symposium sponsored by The New Orleans Institute, which focuses on innovative ways to restore the city. The film trailer is available at http://risingfromruins.com. The film airs at 6 pm and again at 8 pm on Saturday, August 30, upstairs at Massey’s Professional Outfitters, 509 N. Carrollton Avenue. Discussion with filmmaker Hanson Hosein will follow the first seating. Call 504-232-7821 to reserve a seat.
Just wrapped "Independent America:Rising from Ruins" for our premiere in New Orleans this Saturday. See press release here, or below the fold. I'm heading for the airport tonight for my redeye to the city. In the meantime, there's worrisome news about Hurricane Gustav's path...
I've got five days left to edit the new film before I head down to New Orleans for the premiere. See below the fold for the media alert. In the meantime, we've set up a website specific to the film, at http://risingfromruins.com.
Posted by Hanson Hosein
Three weeks away from the world premiere of our film, "Independent America: Rising from Ruins" on the 3rd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. This is the second trailer of the film (the first is here), a necessary effort even with so little time left, as all of our promoters (grassroots, online, and big broadcast sales) demand more ammunition for their marketing salvo.
The film will be featured at the Katrina-related event, "We Are The Ones We've Been Waiting For," organized by The New Orleans Institute. You can also catch the film on YouTube or better yet, in HD on Vimeo.
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