New Orleans Documentary Debuts at Tribeca Film Festival

Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans [Image from Dionne Butler]

Last month, I received an invitation from film producer Lucie Faulknor to attend a screeening of a new documentary about the Treme neighborhood in New Orleans.  I've been following the progress of this project for about two years, and I was so thrilled to see the results! I truly enjoyed it.

Faubourg Tremé, The Untold Story of Black New Orleans is a fantastic history lesson about culture lost and found.  Tremé is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban Black neighborhoods in America.  The film explores how in many ways, it was the unheralded epicenter of the Civil Rights movement- which started as far back as the 1800s! Historians give thought-provoking discourse about the laissez faire attitudes of the white French ruling class, who allowed slaves more "freedoms" in New Orleans, than anywhere else, prior to the signing of the Louisiana Purchase. The filmmakers also chronicled, the riveting and captivating current struggle to preserve New Orleans' incredible heritage post-Katrina.

How much did I love this film?  The soundtrack with appearances by many of New Orleans culture warriors, and rare footage make this a noteworthy gem.  Lolis Eric Elie, one of the film's directors, and a New Orleans Times-Picayune reporter, narrates a fascinating discovery tour about his neighborhood, as he renovates his house in Tremé. Director/Editor Dawn Logsdon's gentle treatment of subjects, made me feel like I was eavesdropping on rich, and powerful conversations between friends and neighbors.  When the second-line parades danced through the streets of the Tremé, I felt the revelry.

The film's brilliance is embedded in the power of the first-person narrative.  Long-time neighborhood residents made candid observations, giving poignant testimony about their community's illustrious past, and how it fell into several decades of decline.  It was an identifiable story that transcends beyond New Orleans to the many urban centers throughout the nation that have faced similar challenges.

I adored this documentary, because it was specifically told by people who have lived, loved, and invested their souls into the city.   If there is ever a film that gave me a reason to always care about one of my favorite places on Earth- this was it.

Lucie Faulknor just sent me a note that the film made its New York debut at the Tribeca Film Festival from April 25 to May 2! 

• To view a trailer for the documentary, please click here.

• For more information about the film, visit the official Faubourg Treme Documentary Project website here.

• Yesterday, Lolis Eric Elie wrote about one of my favorite off-the-beaten-path Treme neighborhood treasures- the Backstreet Cultural Museum. Click here for the story.

[where: 70130]