Documentary Provokes Discussion on Race and Politics in New Orleans

RACE, a documentary film by Katherine Cecil, is an important document of New Orleans' 2006 mayoral election. The film recently received the HBO Best Documentary Award at the 2010 Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival, and has been provoking discussion and debate wherever it has screened. The film will be screening this weekend and next week at the New Orleans Film Festival.

RACE - which explores race and politics post-disaster and the 2006 reelection of Mayor Nagin - is playing three times at the 2010 NOFF:

Sunday, October 17, 4:30pm
The Theatres at Canal Place, 333 Canal Street - 3rd Floor

Sunday, October 17, 7:00 p.m.
The Porch, 1362 St. Anthony Street

Wednesday, October 20, 5:30 p.m.
The Prytania Theatre, 5339 Prytania Street

From the film publicity:

The Saints have just won the Super Bowl, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu is Mayor-elect of New Orleans, and a prominent local journalist has suggested that New Orleans could now be on the cusp of post-racial politics.

But while 45% of registered white voters turned out to vote in the 2010 election, only 28% of registered African-American voters cast ballots, a sharp contrast to the election of 2006 in which many more voters turned out despite unprecedented obstacles.

'RACE' is a documentary film about the first election held in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. The film examines the intersection of race and politics post-disaster and explores how Ray Nagin was re-elected from a completely different base than had previously supported him in 2002. This Sneak Preview is generously hosted by the Dillard Political Science Department, and will be followed by a panel discussion. Please come and give your feedback!

For information about the documentary, visit the film's website: http://racethedocumentary.com.