NATCHITOCHES – New Orleans native Edward Buckles is coming to Natchitoches to screen his award-winning documentary “Katrina Babies” at Northwestern State University. The ground-breaking director, who won two awards at the Tribeca Film Festival and was recently featured on the digital cover of TIME magazine, takes an intimate look at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and its impact on the youth of New Orleans.
The movie trailer can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjteP4qBqn4
The screening will take place at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6 in the Varnado Hall Ballroom and will be followed by a Q & A session with Buckles. The screening is free and open to the public.
The film synopsis is as follows.
Sixteen years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, an entire generation still grapples with the lifelong impact of having their childhood redefined by tragedy. New Orleans filmmaker Edward Buckles Jr., who was 13 years old during Katrina and its initial aftermath, spent seven years documenting the stories of his peers who survived the storm as children, using his community’s tradition of oral storytelling to open a door for healing and to capture the strength and spirit of his city.
The Documentary Screening Series is organized and hosted by Associate Professor Melody Gilbert and sponsored by NSU’s Department of New Media, Journalism, and Communication Arts and CAPA.
Buckles will also meet with students Gilbert’s classes.
“I am excited about visiting NSU as a guest artist because I hope to be an inspiration to aspiring filmmakers to pursue their dreams,” Buckles said. “I remember defining moments during my undergraduate years where specific guest artists I got to meet changed my trajectory and I hope to be the same for the students there.”
He also said he hopes that students attending the screening or classes can learn more about the behind-the-scenes of the documentary filmmaking process, especially when working with little to no budget.
“I began making this film in undergrad and I hope the NSU students are inspired that the ideas and projects they have right now, in undergrad, are real and important,” he added.
Contact Gilbert for more information: gilbertm@nsula.edu
