[StBernard] Katrina's fury will hit IMAX in 'Hurricane on the Bayou'

[Westley Annis]

Katrina's fury will hit IMAX in 'Hurricane on the Bayou' 
By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY

When veteran IMAX director Greg MacGillivray (To Fly!) began shooting his
large-screen documentary about Louisiana's vanishing wetlands last summer,
what was once a plea for conservation became Hurricane on the Bayou.
The film had wrapped by the end of May and included a simulation of a
hurricane. But once Katrina struck in August, the filmmaker says, "We made
the determination to send a crew back on the road with everything they would
need - gasoline, generators, three IMAX cameras, cranes, dollies and a
helicopter mount." 

The filmmakers even managed to locate a helicopter, borrowed from the
Florida set of the movie version of Miami Vice- which handily was stamped
with police logos, the better to gain access. 

The story they shot of the aftermath and hopes for renewal will premiere
Aug. 29, the anniversary of when Katrina hit New Orleans. It will run
exclusively at the city's Entergy IMAX Theater before opening in limited
release Dec. 22.

Everest, the 1998 film MacGillivray co-directed, was dramatically heightened
by a deadly blizzard. Similarly, in Bayou, "We focus on our characters and
what happened to them before and after." 

Featured onscreen and contributing to the blues soundtrack are local
musicians Allen Toussaint, singer-guitarist and wetlands activist Tab
Benoit, 14-year-old fiddling whiz Amanda Shaw and zydeco accordionist Chubby
Carrier. All were displaced by the flood. Songs by Aaron Neville, Louis
Armstrong and Fats Domino are also heard.

Though TV viewers might believe they already witnessed the worst of
Katrina's wrath, the director says IMAX provides an even more wrenching
depiction.

"We have stunning pictures taken from the air," MacGillivray says. "The
scope of the devastation is captured on the big screen with incredible
sharpness."

New Jersey-born Meryl Streep narrates, and the choice of a Northerner was
intentional, says MacGillivray. "She's a very concerned social activist. But
we wanted to use someone from the North because there's a bias in the
country against the Southern states. 'Why should we care about Louisiana
being in harm's way?' "

Though he's not expecting a large profit from his project and its
soundtrack, proceeds will be split between educational programs and
producing conservation films.

"New Orleans is a treasure," he says. "It's the most unique city in America,
with people speaking French and food you can't find anywhere else. We can't
let it disappear. With $100,000, we can't build a levee, but we can educate
about conservation."