Coming Attraction: Film on Hurricane Katrina Survivors at Wex Center
by Taylor Swope
Josh Grossberg, a senior entertainment journalist for E! Online, has produced A Bridge Life: Finding Our Way Home, a documentary about Hurricane Katrina refugees from Louisiana who relocated to Florida after being evacuated to Texas. Grossberg will be in town Oct. 7 for a showing of the film at the Wexner Center for the Arts.
How would you describe the themes behind the film? One person can make a difference. While people may be strangers to us, we’re all in this together.
How did this process begin? I was a graduate student at New York University. I joined a student group that was asked to go on a trip to Houston in the wake of Katrina. We arrived a few days later to volunteer at the Houston Astrodome. I heard abut this guy named Dan Sheffer. He wanted to take people out of the Dome to Florida, get them housing, shelter and jobs. The film chronicles their story as they make their way to Florida to start new lives.
How is this story different from others about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? There wasn’t any film that dealt with what happened in Texas. Two-hundred thousand Louisiana residents were uprooted and bused to Houston. There’s been no migration like that since the Dust Bowl era. It captures a glimpse of what happened in a chaotic time period.
How did you become involved with the Wexner Center? They’re really wonderful. Steven Glaser, a professor of piano performance at Ohio State [and also an acquaintance], wrote the score. It’s fantastic. He was putting Wexner on my radar, which is very well regarded; it’s well known within the filmmaking community. They really wanted to screen the film.
How are audiences reacting to this film? Not a dry eye in the house. A lot of that has to do with the themes Steven creates with the music. We premiered the film at the Newport Beach Film Festival this year. The responses were stellar. Everyone stayed for the Q-and-A, which means we really grabbed the audience. People are inspired by Dan’s actions and the actions of others that got involved. One person making a difference inspired others. You can do more. It is possible.
Note: After our interview, Grossberg informed us that the film will be awarded a bronze plaque from the Columbus International Film and Video Festival in mid November.
