DCTV's "Katrina Sisters" airs on NYC life

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Don't miss this heartwarming documentary, Katrina Sisters, DCTV's newest documentary about teens picking up cameras to find their voices and make a difference in post-Katrina New Orleans, airing on Channel 25 NYC life Wednesday, September 7th @ 8:30PM, Saturday, September 10th @ 3PM, and Wednesday, September 14th @ 10:30PM.

Shannon Sonenstein, Director/Producer of Katrina Sisters, explains the inspiration behind this documentary film.

Katrina Sisters started in the Spring of 2006 with a phone call to Jerald White, a New Orleans-based producer. I told him that DCTV was thinking of doing a youth media exchange project.

The idea was to send NYC teenagers to New Orleans to collaborate on a video project with local teens there. The students would work together over the course of the summer to conduct and document interviews with Katrina survivors.

Immediately, I was drawn to the idea of following the kids with cameras and filming the behind-the-scenes story of their journey. I felt that this had the potential to be a life-changing experience for the teens involved and I wanted to capture that.

Jerald was initially hesitant; it was one year after Katrina and many families hadn’t returned to New Orleans. He didn’t know if he could find teens to participate. We decided to move forward and found two exceptional young women from New Orleans to work with two DCTV youths. The four girls were determined to create something affirmative out of what could have been a sad story.

As the cameras rolled, I learned from, and with, the four of them – not only about a community’s struggle to deal with the aftermath of a devastating storm, or our country’s ongoing issues with race and class, but also about the positive aspects of life in New Orleans, and the wonderful, courageous work that people are doing to rebuild their city.

With grace and courage, these four young women found inspirational stories around every corner. Their desire and drive to expose the strength of the New Orleans community touched me deeply.

I went back to NYC at the end of that summer still unsure of anything other than that these young women were extraordinary. I asked the talented April Merl to join the team and edit the film. After looking at ten minutes of footage, she agreed.

Slowly, a story emerged. Initially, I had thought that Katrina Sisters was a film about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I was wrong. Katrina Sisters is a film about the power of the arts and the way a camera can be a tool to help a young person work through their feelings and discover that their voices are full of power and potential.

What I hope people will take away from Katrina Sisters, especially the youth and young women who see it, is the inspiration to ask questions, to get involved in their communities, and to take action through expression – filmmaking, writing, music, art, or activism.

It is my hope that other people will watch Briceshanay, Rodneka, Suprena, and Sade’s journey and say, “If they can do it, I can too.”

For more information about the film