Kamp Katrina

Mrs. Pearl, a flamboyant fixture of old New Orleans, is a Katrina survivor. After the hurricane, her big old house in the upper Ninth Ward becomes home base for a ragtag bunch of the dispossessed. They move into the backyard, set up tents, and dub their new home Kamp Katrina. Things at first are idyllic, but gradually the sense of shared adversity dissipates and the realities of the situation take over. There are few amenities, few jobs, and plenty of tension. Though Ms. Pearl and her husband attempt to lay down the law and enforce harmony, the situation threatens to turn ugly. Directors Sabin and Redmon immersed themselves in the day-to-day life of Kamp Katrina, and their unobtrusive camera catches all the action, from drunken revelry to disturbing violence. Though Katrina's aftermath is the ever-present background, this is really a story of people forced to live in proximity, and their struggle — against nature, addictions, and bureaucracy. (DW)

Plays with Attention Getting Style (dir. Jay Buim, 4 min) — New condominium complexes and other businesses in Southern California try to get a leg up on the competition, and the vast subculture of sign twirlers are thus in demand.