We Are All Connected

The bayous of Louisiana are some of the treasures of the United States, rich in culture and wildlife, but are not often publicized in today’s media. One of this year’s Academy Award contenders, Beasts of the Southern Wild, brought us a mythical view of an isolated, yet vibrant, bayou community. Sharon Linezo Hong’s My Louisiana Love brings us a harsher reality of the conditions in the bayous.

My Louisiana Love traces Monique Verdin’s poignant story of love, both for her people and her home. Hong’s first full-length documentary is made more intimate through her use of home footage, recorded by Verdin and her partner Mark Krasnoff, and later by Hong herself.

Through a series of disasters both natural--like Hurricane Katrina--and man-made--like the 2010 BP oil spill--the Houma Nation, from which Verdin is descended, has faced and survived numerous hardships, dating back to colonial times. The results of the disasters have ravaged both the land and the people, destroying not only their homes and jobs, but also their relationships. For many filmmakers, presenting such a topic could come out seeming too distant or foreign, but Hong creates a very raw and authentic film, bringing it directly from the source.

Hong’s documentary shows audiences the heartbreaking truths about what is happening to the natural world around us. Not only that, but how it affects the people. We are all intimately connected, and Monique Verdin’s quest is but one of many such tales.

My Louisiana Love plays Saturday, February 16 at 5:00 PM at Northwest Film Forum
Director Sharon Linezo Hong will be in attendance!
TeenTix tickets are $5.00
More info at nwfilmforum.org