Reel Earth NOLA Participants

Students

Aristide:
Aristide’s hope is for New Orleans to be a safe and thriving city. His dream is to be successful and to own his own business. He wants the world to know that New Orleans is a great city, but in very serious danger and there is something that has to be done. Aristide lives in the Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward and found us through a partnership with the Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development.

Chrissy:
Chrissy describes her early years as “headed down a dangerous path.” Realizing how destructive her behavior was, she decided to turn her life around and “become the best possible me I could be.” Chrissy was attracted to Reel Earth because she “wants to help anyone in any way that I can all of the time. This would be another chance to do that. I want to take away knowledge and techniques I’ll be able to use my school and community, to show others how to positively express themselves.” Chrissy found us through a partnership with the University of New Orleans’s Upward Bound program.

Coral:
Coral dreams of becoming a pediatrician and aspires to clean up the city’s streets and parks. She wants to tell the world the story of Hurricane Katrina from her point of view. Her favorite movie is “Freedom Writers” and favorite musician is Mary J. Blige. Coral’s family is a beneficiary of Make it Right, an effort to sustainably rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward.

Ebonae:
Ebonae's proudest achievement is passing the eighth grade in Texas, after her life had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Now back in New Orleans, she is concerned with her neighborhood’s slow rebuilding. “My community looks so abandoned,” she says. If she could, she would build a park in her neighborhood, the Lower Ninth Ward. Ebonae’s confidence is infectious. “I know who I am and I know that I’m special,” she says. “I don’t try to be anyone else but Ebonae.” Ebonae found us through a partnership with the Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development.

Ivorrie:
Ivorrie is outgoing and animated, and dreams of becoming an NBA basketball player. She wishes she could rebuild New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and her family is a beneficiary of Make it Right, an effort to sustainably rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward.

 

Jacie:
Jacie wants to tell the world her story, which is that you can always be a free spirit going about the world, doing your very best and can always prevail in any obstacle thrown your way. She is concerned about global warming and feels that there are solutions being made but not carried out. Jacie is a trainer for her high school football team and is practically obsessed with the color yellow. She is pretty sure you have never seen as much yellow in anyone else’s closet than hers. Jacie found us through a partnership with the University of New Orleans’s Upward Bound program.

K’Shon:
K’Shon aspires to prove the world wrong by achieving her goals no matter what obstacles get in her way. She is concerned about global warming and pollution in the air, oceans, seas, and lakes, which harms the animals. K’Shon wants to tell the world about Katrina—how elderly people, newborn babies, and family were trapped for days without food, water, or electricity. If she could, she would build a brand new mission for the homeless because everyone needs a place to call home. K’Shon found us through a partnership with the University of New Orleans’s Upward Bound program.

Kandice:
Kandice’s strengths are her understanding of a diversity of cultures, her social decorum, originality, and “soaring like an eagle.” She has a passion for helping people and seeing the smile on their face, knowing that she made a difference in their life. Her favorite musician is Mos Def because he always has a story to tell, and he does it in a poetic, positive and intelligent way. Kandice wants to tell the world that her birthday has made history because on August 29th one of the worst hurricane disasters hit the U.S. that cost so much death, destruction, and an exodus of New Orleanians’ unique people. Kandice found us through a partnership with the University of New Orleans’s Upward Bound program.

Leander:
Our youngest participant, 11-year-old Leander is wise beyond his years and has gained life experience through the hardships he’s endured. He has an immense love for animals and is concerned for the lakes, rivers, trees, plants, fish, and all animals because people throw their waste in certain places. Leander wants to know what the world will look like 10,000 years from now. He is a subject of the documentary "Katrina’s Children".

Nadia:
Nadia wants to go to college and medical school and become a pediatrician. She is concerned that our wetlands are slowly drifting away and animals are left without a home. She wants to tell the world about the homeless staying under the canal bridge, and how badly they live. She loves writing poems and short stories. Nadia found us through a collaboration with the University of New Orleans’s Upward Bound Program.

Sharett:
Sharett loves to cook and her dreams are to own a bakery and a restaurant. She is very proud that her science fair project on acid rain and aquatic life ranked second place in her school. Sharrett believes that there should be recycling in every public school. At school the children drink cold drinks and just throw the bottles in the trash! Also, she feels that someone should invent solar-powered washers and dryers because 90% of the energy used to run a washing machine is to heat the hot water. Sharett found us through a collaboration with the University of New Orleans’s Upward Bound Program.

Crayola:
Easily our most outspoken participant, Crayola never hesitates to offer her opinion about all matters local and global. She dreams of becoming a motivational speaker. A dedicated student and community activist, Crayola was chosen by Remedee to attend an international youth summit on interdependence in Brussels, Belgium. She made friends with young people from all over the world, and shared with them what life is like in New Orleans. She found us through a partnership with the University of New Orleans’s Upward Bound program.

Kevannah:
Kevannah is energetic and light-hearted, but is also very concerned for her environment. She wants the world to know what a struggle post-Katrina life in New Orleans is. Her family is a beneficiary of Make it Right, an effort to sustainably rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward.

 

Troy:
Troy is inquisitive and greatest strength in filmmaking is interviewing. He is prone to troublemaking but ultimately wants to choose the right path for himself. Troy’s family is a beneficiary of Make it Right, an effort to sustainably rebuild the Lower Ninth Ward.

 

Mentors

David Aman
David has been shooting professionally for five years and is focused on the short documentary format. He originally trained as a chef and has since turned this passion for food into a career shooting the culture of cuisine in New Orleans. His work has been shown at the James Beard Awards and his goal is to continue to capture the stories that define our culture.

Brandan Odums
Brandan "Bmike" Odums is a 23-year-old filmmaker born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He's a director, visual artist, editor, producer and an African American who believes in the power of the young person's voice. In 2005, Brandan created 2-Cent Entertainment, a TV show geared at educating young people and changing perceptions of how his generation is generally portrayed by the media.