Harry Shearer’s Hurricane Katrina Doc to Hit VOD in August
After hitting over 75 markets across the U.S. in its theatrical release, Harry Shearer’s (“A Mighty Wind,” “This is Spinal Tap”) documentary “The Big Uneasy,” will hit VOD on August 16 through FilmBuff.
Here’s the synopsis courtesy of FilmBuff:
In his feature-length documentary “The Big Uneasy,” humorist and New Orleans resident Harry Shearer gets the inside story of a disaster that could have been prevented from the people who were there. Shearer speaks to the tireless investigators and experts who poked through the muck as the water receded, and uncovers a courageous whistle-blower from inside the Army Corps of Engineers. His dogged pursuit of facts reveals that some of the same flawed methods responsible for levee failure during Hurricane Katrina are being used in other cities across America, as well as in rebuilding the system expected to protect the “new” New Orleans from future peril.
Full press release below:
HARRY SHEARER’S “THE BIG UNEASY” REVEALS ROLE OF ENGINEERING FAILURES IN NEW ORLEANS FLOODING
Feature Length Film Available Nation-wide on Digital Platforms August 16 through FilmBuff
New York, NY – July 14, 2011 – Following a successful theatrical release in over 75 markets across the country, Harry Shearer’s acclaimed documentary The Big Uneasy will be available nationwide beginning August 16 through digital distribution label FilmBuff. Shearer’s film shines an urgent new light on the flawed construction and oversight of the levee systems in New Orleans, which catastrophically failed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
On the eve of the sixth anniversary of the devastating floods that seized this beloved American city, Shearer’s film will be available across platforms on the same day reaching over 100 million households. Consumers will find the film on VOD via all major cable providers, (Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Charter and Cablevision) broadband VOD portals (iTunes, Vudu, Xbox, and Verizon FIOS) and DVD (Amazon.com) on August 16.
In his feature-length documentary The Big Uneasy, humorist and New Orleans resident Harry Shearer gets the inside story of a disaster that could have been prevented from the people who were there. Shearer speaks to the tireless investigators and experts who poked through the muck as the water receded, and uncovers a courageous whistle-blower from inside the Army Corps of Engineers. His dogged pursuit of facts reveals that some of the same flawed methods responsible for levee failure during Hurricane Katrina are being used in other cities across America, as well as in rebuilding the system expected to protect the “new” New Orleans from future peril.
“Given the startling lack of interest the national media has exhibited in telling the “why” behind one of the biggest domestic news stories in this century, I’m pleased, proud, and relieved to have this new suite of digital platforms available for Americans to learn the hard truths, and to meet the folks who risked their careers to tell them,” said filmmaker Harry Shearer.
“With the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on the horizon, we are humbled and honored to bring this great documentary to a wider audience,” said FilmBuff’s head of content Matt Dentler.
The first serious documentary from noted “mockumentarian” Shearer (This Is Spinal Tap; A Mighty Wind; The Simpsons), Uneasy has racked up critical praise from major outlets across the country, including The New York Times (“Indispensable”), The Los Angeles Times (“A gripping, persuasive film. Essential Viewing”), and the Village Voice (“A scathing indictment…an airtight case”).
After producing the film independently (with longtime producer Karen Murphy and documentary veteran Christine O’Malley), Shearer himself spent several months on the road in 2011, traveling from city to city to personally present this shocking, sad, and true story of poor science and poorer oversight that traditional news outlets had unfortunately missed. May the compelling facts presented in The Big Uneasy deliver a clear-headed warning so that U.S. citizens may take heed and not let history repeat itself – in New Orleans or elsewhere.
Currently, the film continues in limited theatrical engagements in several U.S. cities with Shearer appearing along with it. For more information, follow @thebiguneasy on Twitter, join the Facebook group The Big Uneasy, and visit the film’s home site at www.thebiguneasy.com.
