*21+ Only

Join filmmakers Rajiv Shah and Darius Seddiqui as they raise funds to complete THE ROAD TO GRAND ISLE, a documentary about the BP oil spill. The fundraiser will host a sneak preview of selected footage from the film, open bar, appetizers, and a live DJ.

SYNOPSIS:

On April 20, 2010 news of an offshore drilling rig named DEEPWATER HORIZON exploded off the coast of Louisiana. The rig was gushing 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico, killing animals, the ecosystem, and a way of life that has stood for over a hundred years. Fisherman, business owners, and citizens of the Louisiana communities hit hardest by the oil spill - Hopedale, Shell Beach, and Grand Isle became the focus of the documentary, THE ROAD TO GRAND ISLE.

Filmmakers Darius Seddiqui and Rajiv Shah watched as news reports relayed stories of the corporate and political fallout due to the disaster. They knew they weren’t getting the complete story and decided that sitting at home and watching the news wasn’t enough. As BP proclaimed that the oil was disappearing, Darius and Rajiv put their lives on hold and hit the road for Grand Isle, Louisiana.

Rajiv and Darius arrived in Louisiana to find communities and lives under distress. The tragedy was that the communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina were slowly rebuilding - returning to normalcy - until the BP oil spill. As one fisherman expressed, “This is worse than Katrina - we are able to rebuild after a hurricane. We know hurricanes, that’s natural, it’s been happening ever since our families settled here over a hundred years ago, but this oil spill... It’s man-made, and frankly, we don’t know how to recover from this.” These are the voices that make up the heart of ROAD TO GRAND ISLE, voices belonging to people that are slowly fading from the news and public consciousness. People that are losing their homes and a way of life that we felt was worth fighting for.  

Home is not a collection of 4x4s nailed together. Katrina already proved that by lifting those structures from the ground and carrying them away. Communities are made up of homes, those were gone. Homes are made up of families, many lost the ones they loved most. What was left was the heart of the people in Louisiana - of those that stayed to rebuild their homes in the aftermath - people like you and me.

THE ROAD TO GRAND ISLE is not a story about financial compensation, it cannot be, as there is no price tag on your home. As Americans, the coastal communities of Louisiana share the same fight for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as the rest of the country. Let their voice be heard. Join us in raising the necessary funds to bring THE ROAD TO GRAND ISLE to the big screen.

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