IndiePix's Hurricane Katrina documentary now available to US schools, universities and libraries

  • The Axe in the Attic will be distributed to education establishments by IndiePix partner, The Cinema Guild
  • Hard-hitting documentary captures aftermath of disaster three years ago and how communities are still affected
  • Filmmakers, Ed Pincus and Lucia Small, to speak at educational seminars across the US
  • For a high resolution image click here 

New York, US – 13 November, 2008 – IndiePix, the Internet-based distributor of independent films, has announced that following its partnership with The Cinema Guild earlier this year, The Axe in the Attic, a candid documentary that captures the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina just days after it struck, is now available to educational institutions. The Axe in the Attic shows the physical devastation as the hurricane hit, but also the dignity, humour and perseverance of thousands of evacuees who, three years on, continue to piece their communities back together. It will be available to schools, universities and public libraries across the US from October, before being made available to a global consumer audience through IndiePix – to purchase or download-to-own – early next year.

Independent filmmakers Lucia Small and Ed Pincus took a sixty-day road trip from New England to New Orleans just days after Katrina hit the States on 23rd August 2005. Katrina brought about one of the biggest migrations in the country's history and as they travelled down the Gulf Coast, the filmmakers recorded incredible stories. The Axe in the Attic is part of IndiePix's increasing range of documentaries, which are aimed at educational institutions to promote discussion on key social issues, along with Skid Row, which documents the huge problem of homelessness in LA, and the issue of deportation, in Sentenced Home. Ed Pincus and Lucia Small are also preparing to travel to towns and cities in order to re-tell their own personal stories to audiences.   

"Our film touches on what it means to be exiled in your own country, with a Government that is conspicuously absent," commented Ed Pincus, Director of The Axe in the Attic. "The title is a reminder of all the families who faced the reality that they might drown in their own homes unless they were able to break through the roof. We really pushed the boundaries with The Axe in the Attic and it brings home just how the influence of race, class, and gender still affects today’s society."

Roger Ebert, the celebrated film critic on the Chicago Sun-Times, in his 3-Star review of The Axe in the Attic said: "I had no idea what happened after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. No idea. I read the papers and watched the news on TV and I had no idea."

"I appreciate Roger Ebert's stars, but I appreciate more his directness," explained Bob Alexander, President at IndiePix. "Katrina was an extraordinary event and although the wind, rain and waves were shown on television, they are not the story. The people who live through these disasters and who come back to repair their lives are the story, and this kind of story is one that independent filmmakers – with their emphasis on people and their stories – are ideally suited to tell. The public record is incomplete without their work, and we are very pleased to contribute to the distribution of this film by working with our partner, The Cinema Guild, in an effort to make that record complete.

"Our documentaries are one of the most effective ways to teach youngsters about real life. Instead of simply reading a textbook they now have the opportunity to see first-hand how everything from homelessness to drug use affects everyday people," concluded Bob Alexander.

Readers can click here to see the trailer of The Axe in the Attic.

If you would like to receive a copy of The Axe in the Attic for your school, university or library, or would be interested in the documentary's filmmakers providing an educational seminar, please email Ryan Krivoshey at rkrivoshey@cinemaguild.com
   
About IndiePix
IndiePix is the world's leading distributor of critically acclaimed and hard-to-find independent films. The company was set up in 2005 by Bob Alexander and Barnet Liberman to break down barriers between film-makers and audiences in the global film community through the creation of a world leading shop and online service dedicated to making independent films available to film fans everywhere. The company is committed to supporting the independent film industry through its sponsorship of film festivals and its unique business model that returns the highest share of sales straight to the film-maker. For more information, please visit www.indiepixfilms.com.
 
Shreekant Pol
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