Katrina Babies

2022

1h 19m

Documentary

List

100%

Tomatometer

10 Reviews

90%

Audience Score

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

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Lisa Kennedy

New York Times

“Katrina Babies” is deeply personal and thoughtfully political.

Aug 24, 2022

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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Patricia R

This documentary was on point! I'm a New Orleans Native and this documentary touched bases on every aspect of what majority of the city went through and is still going through!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/04/22

Full Review

walt c

This film was masterful. What Edward Buckles has done here is brilliant. This documentary is haunting, mesmerizing, yet finds a way to provide hope. This is the power of what happens when we tell our own stories. It's a must see for anyone who wants to learn more about the human condition and how trauma effects us all.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Lynn _

This movies was beautiful! It was so nice to hear from the children who survived Katrina. The stories, the news clips, etc. made me emotional. This movie was necessary! Congratulations on making a masterpiece out of a traumatic event.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/29/22

Full Review

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

Full Review

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Edward Buckles Jr.

Director

Miesha Williams

Self

Cierra Chenier

Self

Arnold Burks

Self

Damaris Calliet

Self

Calvin Baxter

Self

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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: Chike Ozah, Coodie, Eileen Tavarez, Jess Jacobs, Ian Orefice, Loren Hammonds, Alexa Conway, Mike Beck
Screenwriter: Edward Buckles Jr., Luther Clement Lam, Audrey Rosenberg
Production Co: Time Studios, Creative Control, Invisible Pictures, HBO Documentary Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 24, 2022
Runtime: 1h 19m

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