Presented by Facets Cinematheque (1517 W. Fullerton), these six documentaries, all made in 2008, “represent decidedly unexpected views of the world, each revealing an unseen corner of the planet with passion and humor.”
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Reviewing Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans, Andrea Gronvall wrote, “With a magisterial sweep, this stirring video by New Orleans native Dawn Logsdon documents the prominence of African-Americans in the Big Easy from colonial times to the present. Treme—today the Sixth Ward—was integrated from its inception as an 18th-century suburb, becoming home to a large number of former slaves who had bought their freedom. These early citizens pursued their education and started businesses prior to the Civil War, and their descendants were the earliest proponents of the civil rights movement. Writer and codirector Lolis Eric Elie, columnist for the Times-Picayune, gives a guided tour of the ward, and the extensive footage shot before Hurricane Katrina underlines the region’s loss.” It screens twice as part of a double feature with Sliding Liberia, about young tourists who arrive in the West African nation looking for surfing action and instead come face-to-face with the aftermath of the 2003 civil war (Fri 10/23, 7 and 9:15 PM).
