Tune into PBS nationwide this week: Right to Return by Jonathon Demme

This week on PBS nationwide, Academy Award-winning director Jonathon Demme will and Travis Smiley will present a week-long series on post-Katrina New Orleans called "Right to Return: New Home Movies from the Lower 9th Ward."
Click the link to go find out more about the series and local listing information.

Please support Jonathon Demme, Common Ground Relief and residents of the Lower 9th Ward by tuning in and spreading the word!

Right to Return: New Home Movies from the Lower 9th Ward: in Part 1, "Hurricane Winter," Jonathan Demme and Tavis visit with New Orleans residents Antoinette K. Doe, Pastor Mel Jones and Brandon Darby.

The series consists of “portrait” documentaries filmed in New Orleans over the course of 2006, leading into January of this year. The five short films chart the efforts of a disparate group of New Orleanians who braved unimaginable adversity after the floods of 2005 in an attempt to reclaim their homes, their neighborhoods – primarily in the Lower 9th Ward – and their shattered lives and livelihoods. The residents presented in the unfolding seasonal format include teachers, ministers, a retired chef, volunteer workers, the owner of the legendary “Mother-In-Law Lounge,” librarians, and workers from all walks of life.

“Right to Return” will air nightly for a week, beginning Monday, May 28th on the “Tavis Smiley” late-night PBS program – seen on over 200 PBS affiliates nationwide.

“This American story of lives lost, souls shattered and uncommon courage must be told, even though the waters have subsided,” stated Tavis Smiley. “I’m pleased and honored to have the opportunity alongside an iconic director and producer like Jonathan Demme to tell that story.”

“This is an extremely personal project for me,” stated Jonathan Demme. “We started filming four months after the floods. I felt drawn, as an American filmmaker, to contribute somehow to the audio-visual record of what these people were going through in their heroic efforts to jump start their lives in the face of this epic, tragic event. I wanted to be a part of getting these stories out, and I am so thrilled and proud to be doing so with Tavis Smiley.

Demme added, “It’s really wonderful that Tavis Smiley is providing a window into the lives of these amazing people – the spirituality, courage, imagination, tenacity, and humor that fuels their commitment to restore their homes is truly inspiring and moving to me.”

Each night, Demme will join Smiley on location to set up the portraits and introduce the people featured in each episode. The main individuals profiled will have the opportunity at the end of each program to give an update on how their lives have changed since the floods that devastated their homes in the fall of 2005.

Norman Lear, who is a major sponsor of the Demme films, said of the PBS broadcast of “Tavis Smiley,” “The New Orleanians presented on the shows represent the best we as human beings are capable of."

The segments feature original music scores by Barry Eastmond, Donald Harrison Jr., James McBride and Steve Elson. Additional music is provided by Algerian violinist Djamel Ben Yelles, Ernie K-Doe, and others.

Jonathan Demme won an Oscar as best director in the 1991 film “Silence of the Lambs,” and a Gotham award for his documentary “The Agronomist” in 2005. He has previously made several documentaries on Haiti as well as portrait films on Nelson Mandela and Robert Castle.

The full-length film version of “Right to Return,” produced by Demme with Daniel Wolff and Abdul Franklin, is expected to be released theatrically later this year.

"Tavis Smiley" on PBS is produced by the The Smiley Group Inc./TS Media Inc. in association with KCET/Hollywood. Underwriting for "Tavis Smiley" on PBS is provided by Toyota, Wal-Mart and PBS. Additional funding for "Right to Return" is provided by the Lear Family Foundation. For more information, visit www.pbs.org/tavissmiley.

CREDIT BLOCK

Directed by Jonathan Demme

Produced by Jonathan Demme, Daniel Wolff, and Abdul Franklin

Executive Producers

Neda Armian and Lisa Hepner

Tavis Smiley and Neal Kendall (for “Tavis Smiley” on PBS)

Original music by Barry Eastmond, Donald Harrison Jr., Steve Elson and James McBride

Additional music by Djamel Ben Yelles, Ernie K-Doe, Christian Scott, and

The Young Guardians of the Flame

A Clinica Estetico Production