No One Else on the Planet Has This Footage


"Our film is complete and has been submitted to major festivals. This is not an outsiders view into Katrina, this is our point of view from the inside, as we were trapped in New Orleans for a week after Katrina struck."-- James L. Bills

From the site:

Without the means to escape the onslaught of one of history's most feared storms, James and his family take refuge at a hotel in downtown New Orleans. Just a few blocks away from them lies the Convention Center, in the other direction the Superdome. While James grabs his camera and teams with his good friend Gabriel to document the events they saw unfolding in front of them, James’ wife Tracey gathers their two young children and camps out on the second floor, creating a storm and human proof barrier that will protect them (along with their two dogs and four cats) from all harm. Over a period of seven anguished filled days and nights, they weather a category five hurricane, suffer the loss of water and power, food supplies wither to nothing, and hungry and armed outsiders roam in front of their hotel looking for supplies they don't have. James and Gabriel walk miles to the infamous Tchoupitoulas Walmart to try and find supplies for their families and even venture to the Superdome and Convention center in their search.

Although they are in a 21st Century American city, they find themselves living like refugees from the Dark Ages. It is only with the raw instinct to survive that they find the will and the means to make sure water is found, food is secured, and their families protected.

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According to an Alex Jones interview with James L Bills and Al Gomez this footage was sent to every major distributor in L.A., none of them did anything with it.

Main Site: http://www.refugeoflastresort.net/

Clips: http://www.taoofm.com/katrina.htm

Press Release:
http://www.refugeoflastresort.net/press.htm

For Immediate Release
KATRINA DOCUMENTARY REFUGE OF LAST RESORT CREATES STIR AT TEXAS AID STATION

CORPUS CHRISTI – March 6, 2006 – While waiting to receive job training at a Texas Workforce Commission building in Corpus Christi, a number of Hurricane Katrina evacuees were surprised by an impromptu screening of something they had never anticipated, they thought they would ever see… someone telling their story about surviving Hurricane Katrina. “It told the truth”, said Jack C., a New Orleans resident, now displaced and living in Corpus Christi, “James told it like it was and it was about time somebody did.” Refuge of Last Resort tells a harrowing story of how New Orleans resident James L. Bills took his family to a ‘hurricane proof’ building in the heart of New Orleans' Central Business District to save them from the ravaging effects of Hurricane Katrina. The documentary also shared the experiences of Gabriel Black, his friend Ariel Pietrello, and Bills’ family friend Frankie Riley, all residents of New Orleans and the surrounding areas where the flooding first occurred. They each tell their horrifying stories of trying to survive the man made catastrophe after the storm had subsided. 

Wiping away tears, Belinda K., a former teacher and mother of five from Metairie, Louisiana couldn’t help but relate, “Hearing what they had to go through… looking for food and water… keeping their kids out of harm’s way… where was the government when they needed help? It brought back painful memories.” Standing nearby, listening intently was Norm T., who responded, “It just wasn’t right. All that happened down there didn’t have to. Where was FEMA? Where was Nagin? Blanco? President Bush? They were taking care of themselves.” Norm pauses for a moment, nods and continues,” It was good to see him [Bills] and his family walking toward a better life. Gives others hope that the same will happen to them.”

After the documentary ended, the appreciative audience applauded, then stood and gave him a standing ovation. Bills, “I just finished it [the documentary] recently, and didn’t know how others would react. If I never get a dime for it, sharing it with everyone today, and seeing how it touched them was worth going through what me and my family endured. I know that each and every one of these people have a story to tell about how they survived and why they’re here in Corpus Christi instead of being back in their homes. It seems like they connected with mine, and I feel very lucky that my voice can speak for them. ” 

Composed entirely with James L. Bills’ original Hi Def footage, Refuge Of Last Resort is being considered for entry at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2006 in Durham, N.C., the premier documentary film festival in the United States. For more detailed information, as well as media clips of the film, please visit the Refuge Of Last Resort website at http://www.refugeoflastresort.net

About the Filmmakers:
Al Gomez Productions is a Los Angeles based feature film and commercial production company with twenty-five years of creative and production experience. Director James L. Bills is a leading commercial director from New Orleans, who has managed multiple national accounts while pursuing a career in feature film direction. 

AGP Press Contacts

Al Gomez
AGP/Los Angeles AGP
562-843-9026 
al.gomez3@verizon.net
http://www.refugeoflastresort.

Posted: Thu - March 23, 2006 at 02:13 PM            

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