The other huge challenge of course was having a monstrous new story—Hurricane Katrina—overtake us just as we were finishing editing the original film. We ended up scratching that version, going back into production to deal with the disaster and the result is a very different and stronger movie.
JB: What are your thoughts about the power of documentaries to change people’s minds about issues?
DL: I think it’s important to realize that just making a documentary isn’t going to change anyone’s mind. It’s what you do with it once it gets made. In the past, I’ve seen films I’ve edited have enormous impact on people’s lives. And I’ve seen other equally powerful docs do nothing but gather dust. One of the first outreach efforts I watched in action was Paragraph 175, about gay holocaust survivors and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. They did a great job getting the film out, especially in Germany and Israel. And within a year, the German government issued an official apology to gay men persecuted by the Nazis and called for long overdue compensation. On another doc I worked on, Vanishing Line, the director Maren Monsen worked hard to get the film into the curriculum at medical schools around the country and help transform medical training about death and dying.
We’re trying our best to get this film seen by everyone who has a stake in rebuilding our city—from New Orleanians themselves, to the army of outside planners, academics, and developers who’ve descended on the city, to congressional representatives in Washington DC who control the funds needed to fully recover.
JB: What are your plans for your film after the Tribeca Film Festival?
DL: We fly right from Tribeca to our west coast premiere at the San Francisco International Film Festival on May 3rd. After that, we’ll be on the road for at least the next nine months, focusing on grassroots and educational outreach. In February 2009, we’ll have our national PBS broadcast.
JB: What’s your next project?
DL: After so many projects about entire communities and big issues, I’d like to do a biography of one person—probably an artist. I’m researching several possible subjects; most are fascinating women in music.
