Katrina Five Years Later: Faultlines | Haiti: The Politics of Rebuilding

2010, 23 min.

This short documentary looks at the politics of rebuilding Haiti just  one month after the devastating earthquake of January 12th, 2010. With billions of dollars devoted to U.S. and UN-led aid efforts flooding the country, the decade's-long debate about Haitian development has intensified in the wake of this most recent disaster.  The film asks how aid money should be spent in reconstruction, and how reconstruction may or may not contribute to the goals of long-term growth and economic independence in Haiti. While most Haitians do not have the luxury to think beyond the short-term need for food, water and other essential staples, an array of thoughtful community organizers and agriculturists voice their opinions on what needs to be done in the long-run in order to advance the Haitian condition. Also featured in the film are the voices of a number of Haitian politicians, U.S. Army and government officials, foreign owners of private industry and members of Haiti's robust NGO community.

Faultlines | Haiti: Six months on, 2010, 23 min.

Haiti: Six Months Later

Six months after the earthquake, the landscape of Port-Au-Prince remains virtually unchanged. Dominated by rubble and a rainbow patchwork of tents occupied by an estimated one and a half million displaced Haitians, most major reconstruction efforts are on hold.  Inevitably, the government will award most contracts to foreign companies, creating a booming business out of disaster relief and reconstruction. Through conversations with people living in camps and informal settlements throughout Port Au Prince and the countryside, this film reveals the increased skepticism and hostility of Haitians when it comes to the efforts of politicians and NGOs post-disaster.  While as of late, an interim governmental commission has been established to dole out a large chunk of the foreign aid that’s flowed into the country, the question remains as to who is best qualified to decide how the money will be spent; With the presidential elections in Haiti fast-approaching, this question takes on particular relevance.

Tavis Smiley | New Orleans: Been in the Storm Too Long, 2010, 56 min.

“As the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, Tavis Smiley Reports visits New Orleans, capturing the mood and spirit of the city’s courageous residents five years after the levees failed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. For the program, Tavis reunites with Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme, who has spent the past five years chronicling the people of New Orleans as they struggle to recover and rebuild their city. Tavis now returns to speak with some of the city’s most resilient residents who share their rich cultural heritage as they rebuild schools, churches and homes against enormous odds. The charismatic and poignant people of New Orleans to be featured include: Jazz musicians Ellis and Branford Marsalis, Actor John Goodman, longtime resident now starring in the HBO series Treme, Actor Wendell Pierce, a third-generation native also starring in Treme, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun, whose experiences were chronicled in Dave Eggers’ award-winning book Zeitoun”