Now through June 14, the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg is presenting a special IMAX film documentary -- Hurricane on the Bayou – about the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Underwritten by Benjamin Olewine, III Family, this powerful moving giant screen film offers an emotional, music-driven ode to the vital swamps and undying spirit of New Orleans.

Originally conceived as a cautionary tale about Louisiana’s wetlands and the consequences of a hypothetical hurricane hitting New Orleans, Hurricane on the Bayou began production in early 2005. The filmmakers simulated an apocalyptic hurricane, complete with recreated scenes where flooded homeowners burst through rooftops to get to safety.

When Hurricane Katrina hit just four months after production wrapped, the filmmakers were forced to rewrite their story and raced to New Orleans to record the powerful giant screen images of Katrina’s aftermath.

Filmed before and after the unprecedented devastation of Hurricane Katrina and featuring state-of-the-art computer generated special effects depicting the storm’s fury, Hurricane on the Bayou brings into focus the startling loss of Louisianna’s rapidly disappearing coastal wetlands—New Orleans’ first line of defense against deadly storms. Tragically, these wetlands are eroding into the sea at the speed of one acre every thirty minutes, or a land area the size of Manhattan every year.

Directed by two-time Academy Award-nominated director Greg MacGillvray, Hurricane on the Bayou stars legendary New Orleans music producer, songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Allen Toussaint; blues singer/guitarist and long-time wetlands activist Tab Benoit; 14-year-old fiddling prodigy Amanda Shaw; and zydeco accordion master Chubby Carrier.

Also appearing in the film is Marva Wright, New Orleans’ “Queen of Gospel.” Through their eyes, the tragedy the city faced during Katrina and its burning hopes for a revitalized future unfold.

“Hurricane on the Bayou is not just the moving story of how four remarkable musicians survived Katrina, and are facing the future, nor it is just the story of how the destruction of the wetlands is wreaking devastation for both humans and animals,” said Greg MacGillivray. I think it is really about the tremendous value of New Orleans and Louisiana to our nation. I hope we reveal what a treasure this city is—a wild swamped land that turned into a fantastic center for music, food and the enjoyment of life itself. To lose New Orleans would be an unthinkable tragedy.”

This film is narrated by Meryl Streep, and produced and distributed by MacGillvray Freeman Films (Everest, Coral Reef Adventure) and executive produced by Audubon Nature Institute with major funding from the State of Louisiana and in association with MacGillvray Freeman Films Educational Foundation.

Select Medical IMAX Theater is located at 222 Market Street in Harrisburg. For more information on tickets and showtimes, please call 717-214-ARTS or visit www.whitakercenter.org .

1/19/2007