Filmmakers from the Education Video Center's Youth Organizers Television (YO-TV) created a documentary titled Still Standing, which provides an intimate portrayal of the challenges faced by Hurricane Katrina survivors six months after the storm. Daina is a single mother looking for housing, employment, and the chance to reunite with her children. Gertrude is a grandmother struggling to return home and rebuild. Her son Bilal's post-Katrina experiences in New York City drive him to become politically active. These three individuals' stories reveal all-too-familiar issues in urban American communities: the neglect of poor and minority neighborhoods, the inadequacy of public assistance to provide long-term solutions, and the struggles necessary to bring about positive change.
The project has won a CINE Golden Eagle Award, as well as awards from WorldFest—Houston International Film Festival; Media That Matters Film Festival, and Reel Teens Film Festival. Still Standing has been screened at seven other film festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
You can access this page at the following URL:
http://www.katrinamedia.org/projects/StillStanding/index.php
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