A Bridge Life: Finding Our Way Home

Dear Friends,

With the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina fast approaching and political leaders in Washington embroiled in an increasingly bitter debate about the role government should play in our lives, now is a good time to reflect on what each of can us can do for the good of the country.

When it comes to the nation’s costliest disaster that occurred on Aug. 29, 2005 when Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, as “A Bridge Life” chronicles, individuals stepped up to do what governments–both federal, state and local–often could not. Strangers aided strangers, whether rescuing people from floodwaters, providing food and water, or just a roof over their head.

wo Cousins Entertainment is pleased to announce that this very special, award-winning film is now available for download via iTunes for only $5.99! Just click on the following link:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/a-bridge-life/id423421120

If you haven’t watched it, as we look back at how the Gulf Coast is still coming back from oblivion and remember other terrible catastrophes that have occurred around the country and world (the Joplin, Missouri tornadoes, flooding in Australia, the Japan earthquake/tsunami/Fukushima), now would be a good time to do so. $5.99 is a good deal. Of course, you can also purchase the DVD for as low as $19.99. It includes a slew of bonus features including “Scenes From the Astrodome” and an interview with former FEMA director Michael “heckuva job Brownie” Brown and also makes a great gift for the family!

http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Life-Finding-Our-Home/dp/B003VE9WZG

We need your continued support to help get “A Bridge Life” out to the masses. That includes persuading Netflix to carry more independent films including this one (right now, Netflix execs are concentrating on streaming deals with the big Hollywood studios). So if you have a Netflix account, make your voice heard by saving “A Bridge Life” to your queue. It only takes a second!

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/A-Bridge-Life-Finding-Our-Way-Home/70144636

Please forward this message to all your friends. And remember, fate is what you make it.

Warmly,

Josh Grossberg
Director-Producer
A Bridge Life: Finding Our Way Home

Hi Everyone,

We’ve got some thrilling news!  A Bridge Life has been accepted to the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival running Oct. 23 through Nov. 8.

This will be our Florida premiere and a very special occasion as a good chunk of the story is set in South Florida and much of Dan and the group’s activities relied on the goodwill of the Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County community.  No word yet on exact screening dates.  But as soon as we know, we’ll let YOU know.

Thanks for sticking with us and, just as a reminder, you can help Josh and his team immensely in getting the film and its important, inspiring message out to the world by donating via the “See Your Name” campaign on this Website.

Good News Everybody!

After several long months of composing, arranging and recording, our composer, Steven Glaser, completed the original score for “A Bridge Life” and it has now been added to the picture.  And let me be the first to congratulate him on a job well done.  The documentary is now complimented by some wonderfully inventive music that I think raises the film to a whole ‘nother level.  When you see it, I know you’ll agree.

So all that remains essentially is a final color correct and audio mix.  To do that however, I still need to license archival footage featuring watermarks from various archival houses (Getty and Corbis for example) and replace those shots with high-res versions so we can color correct the film.  We’re so close to the finish line that I barely can contain my excitement.  I’m hoping in the next month or so to have some very big news regarding screenings.  Thanks for your patience and please stay tuned!

Josh

Dear friends,

It’s my pleasure to welcome you to the official Website for our feature-length documentary entitled A Bridge Life: Finding Our Way Home From Katrina. This film has been nearly three years in the making and attempts to chronicle one small heartfelt story out of thousands that came out of that terrible storm which devastated the Gulf Coast and New Orleans.

When I started out on this journey, I, like many others, wanted to help Katrina survivors any way I could, even if it meant just handing out water bottles and greeting them with a smile. But what eventually transpired in those critical days after the catastrophe evolved into a much richer experience for everyone involved and a tale that needed to be told. Despite losing everything, many evacuees still had faith, not necessarily in our government, but in God and the common man. Much of that feeling was because of the overwhelming volunteer response that came from Houstonians and countless others who flew in from around the country, wanting to ease their burdens and share their pain. In the midst of this American crisis, there was, for a brief moment, a palpable sense of community that coursed through the Houston Astrodome and surrounding venues that sheltered thousands of Louisiana’s exhausted and stunned residents. In a way, Katrina’s terrible wrath brought out the best in humanity. And this feeling that “we’re all in this together” is what motivated us to lend a hand. It also spurred us to capture this communal spirit as filmmakers through the story of Dan Sheffer, a Good Samaritan from South Florida who traveled to Houston and flew seven evacuees back to the Sunshine State to help them get back on their feet with temporary jobs and a place to lay their heads–in essence, to provide them with “a bridge life.”

Aside from issuing the usual news updates, screening times and venues, press clippings and reviews of A Bridge Life as well as what we hope will be regular blog postings from the creative team, this Website will also provide supplemental material intended to enhance your knowledge of the story and the documentary’s participants outside of the film itself. Such material may include transcripts of interviews not featured in A Bridge Life, photo essays and additional information to keep viewers abreast not only with what’s going on with some of the evacuees, but also with the rebuilding of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. I would further like to encourage visitors to check out our Links section for valuable resources pertaining to New Orleans’ revival post-Katrina, like Brad Pitt’s “Make It Right” Foundation for instance.

I’m very very proud of the work my team has put into A Bridge Life: Finding Our Way Home From Katrina. But we still have a ways to go in terms of its completion. Therefore I would like to request your help. You’ll notice a menu option that says, “See Your Name” as well as a donate button on the right-hand side. This film has been funded primarily by loans and small donations from a variety of family members and supporters, which is why we’re asking you to make a contribution to assist us in making up the difference. Aside from helping us pay for a final audio mix and color correction, the majority of you’re donation, however small, will go towards covering the hefty cost of licensing fees from various news sources and archival houses. I can’t tell you how expensive such fees can get. In return for your contribution however, we’re excited to offer a unique opportunity–the chance to have your names listed in the credits and join other backers in inspiring people to make a difference in each other’s lives by helping tell Dan and his group’s amazing story. Even $5 will get us that much closer to our goal, so please, donate whatever you can.

Lastly, it’s my aim that this Website will eventually serve as the launch pad for a series of A Bridge Life films, each of which will attempt to chronicle the intimate stories of survivors going about the difficult task of rebuilding after major disasters. This is a long-term prospect but one that will again seek to stress the life-affirming idea that “we’re all in this together.”

Sincerely,

Joshua Grossberg

Director