Katrina Babies

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Katrina Babies

2022

1h 19m

Documentary

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100%

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10 Reviews

90%

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Edward Buckles Jr. was 12 when Hurricane Katrina changed everything. He found common cause-and shared trauma--with young people whose lives were similarly shaped by the storm. The film's interview subjects were between 3 and 19 years old when the storm hit: Some stayed in New Orleans, and were pulled from churning, filthy waters after days of fear and hunger. Others fled the city, living in poisonous FEMA trailers and wondering if they'd ever be able to go home. Buckles captures both the unique, joyful flavor of Black culture in the Crescent City and the nightmarish conditions on the ground in the aftermath of the storm.

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Doreen St. Felix

The New Yorker

Obliquely, “Katrina Babies” is a study of the autonomy of the Black child, and of how the government abuses its youngest citizens.

Sep 9, 2022

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Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

Buckles’ greatest asset is his subjects, many of whom have never spoken before about the trauma that the adults and authority figures in their lives have expected them to endure, bravely and stoically.

Aug 26, 2022

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Lisa Kennedy

New York Times

“Katrina Babies” is deeply personal and thoughtfully political.

Aug 24, 2022

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Mike Scott

Times-Picayune

Blending archival footage, singular animation and a wealth of interviews, (it) delivers a vital document that is at once intimate, honest, engaging and indelible.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 15, 2023

Full Review

Glenn Dunks

The Film Experience

Katrina Babies is at its strongest when it focuses in on the specificities of what was lost when those levees broke.

Feb 2, 2023

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Margot Harrison

Seven Days (VT)

Besides refreshing our memories of a catastrophe that remains all too relevant, Katrina Babies affirms the power of oral history, assisted here by film.

Rated: 4.5/5

Sep 7, 2022

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Audience Member

Solid view from the youth.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/28/22

Full Review

ryan s

This movie is incredible! Engaging, beautiful, impactful, I can go on for paragraphs. It's about the aftermath and trauma of Hurricane Katrina, but is about so much more as well and could apply to so many situations in the world. I got to see it at the Tribeca Film Festival and am about to watch it again when it's released on HBO tomorrow. I highly recommend it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I can't even express what an amazing and impactful documentary this is. I was lucky enough to see it at an advanced screening. Such an amazing an important film!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

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alex p. w

This is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen in my life!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Synopsis

Edward Buckles Jr. was 12 when Hurricane Katrina changed everything. He found common cause-and shared trauma--with young people whose lives were similarly shaped by the storm. The film's interview subjects were between 3 and 19 years old when the storm hit: Some stayed in New Orleans, and were pulled from churning, filthy waters after days of fear and hunger. Others fled the city, living in poisonous FEMA trailers and wondering if they'd ever be able to go home. Buckles captures both the unique, joyful flavor of Black culture in the Crescent City and the nightmarish conditions on the ground in the aftermath of the storm.

Director: Edward Buckles Jr.
Producer: Edward Buckles Jr., Audrey Rosenberg, Rebecca Teitel
Screenwriter: Edward Buckles Jr., Luther Clement Lam, Audrey Rosenberg
Production Co: Time Studios, HBO Documentary Films, Invisible Pictures, Creative Control
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 24, 2022
Runtime: 1h 19m

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