description Trouble the Water Overview
Trouble the Water is a 2008 American documentary directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal and distributed by Zeitgeist Films. Built around handheld footage shot by New Orleans residents Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband Scott as Hurricane Katrina struck, the film intercuts their first-person account of the storm and its aftermath with reporting on institutional failures during the response. It won the Grand Jury Prize for documentary at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 81st Academy Awards.
help Trouble the Water FAQ
Who filmed the Hurricane Katrina footage in Trouble the Water?
New Orleans resident Kimberly Rivers Roberts recorded the storm and flooding with a small video camera while trapped in the Ninth Ward. Directors Tia Lessin and Carl Deal integrated her footage into the 2008 documentary.
Why didn't Kimberly Rivers Roberts evacuate before Katrina?
Roberts and her husband, Scott, lacked the money and transportation needed to leave New Orleans easily. Their experience shows how poverty shaped who could obey evacuation orders before the 2005 hurricane.
What happens after the flood footage in Trouble the Water?
The film follows Kimberly and Scott as they leave New Orleans, seek shelter, and later return to their damaged neighborhood. It also documents their frustration with government relief and Kimberly's pursuit of music under the name Black Kold Madina.
What did Trouble the Water win at Sundance?
Trouble the Water won the Grand Jury Prize for documentary at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It was later nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
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