Hollywood Black Film Festival 2008

Belly of the Basin is a one hour documentary which presents the central question - what happens to marginalized people displaced by a natural disaster and flood? Bombarded with sensationalized media coverage of Hurricane Katrina for about one month after the hurricane ravaged the Gulf Coast, audiences around the world watched the media's portrayal of demoralizing images of African Americans 'looting' for survival juxtaposed with sympathetic images of White Americans luckily 'finding' supplies for survival. As a result, the media criminalized African American survival perpetuating racist ideology about the African American community as opposed to focusing on the overwhelming psychological and physical displacement and dislocation that the hurricane created for the community. Hurricane Katrina exposed to the world the long existing racial and class divide present in New Orleans specifically and across America in general. Since the hurricane, much has been said about the destruction of buildings, businesses, and houses, but for the survivors, the emotional and psychological loss of 'home' has been the most difficult to handle. Through individual stories of survivors and volunteers of grassroots organizations Belly of the Basin poses questions about the value of human life in relationship to race, class, and politics.