Video Veracity is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1993 which supports the production and distribution of film and video work by independent media producers in New Orleans and the surrounding region.  The organization provides a crucial link between media producers and foundations, individuals, distributors, and other production facilities.

Video Veracity supports the production of cultural, social-issue, and arts film and video programming, while helping to maintain independent voices in the national and international media. Video Veracity works with similar organizations across the country to promote programming that may not be supported by commercial financing.

Services to media producers include fiscal sponsorship for individual projects, producing advice, technical support as well as fundraising consulting and advocacy. Video Veracity is a collective of experienced media producers with a small board of directors; there is no paid staff or administrative overhead, so nearly all financial resources go directly to the production and distribution of programming. Donations to Video Veracity are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Please consider donating to support the production and distribution of any of these sponsored projects. Send a check or use links below for Paypal.


Bayou Maharajah, directed by Lily Keber. A feature-length documentary on the life and music of New Orleans piano legend James Booker. Through interviews with friends and contemporaries, the film traces Booker’s life from child prodigy to his acclaimed work as session pianist, his solo career and infamous personal life to his early death and continuing legacy. Illustrated with archival concert footage, still photos and promotional material, the film paints a portrait of this overlooked genius. The soundtrack brings to life Booker’s distinct style and includes his early R&B hits, his genre-defying medleys, and the ‘spiders on the keys’ complexity of his music.



www.JamesBooker.com


Streetcar to Kolkata, directed by Kavery Kaul. Documentary. A story of two religions, two cultures and two cities, which unfolds when writer Fatima Shaik journeys from New Orleans, the city of her birth, to learn about Shaik Mohamed Musa, the grandfather she never knew, in Calcutta or Kolkata, the Indian city of his birth. Currently in pre-production.



www.kaverykaul.com


Land of Opportunity: The New New Orleans, directed by Luisa Dantas. Documentary. This film captures the tumultous rebirth of New Orleans through the eyes of those on the frontlines of of the reconstruction effort. The film intertwines the dramatic stories of urban planners, artists, activists, residents and immigrant workers as they shape the fate of one of America's most beloved cities. Currently in post-production.



www.joluproductions.com


The Sons Of Tennessee Williams, directed by Tim Wolff. Documentary. The story of the gay men of New Orleans who fought for civil rights by creating a vast and fantastic culture of "drag balls," working with the traditions of Mardi Gras to bring gay culture into public settings starting in the late 1950s. They helped win freedoms, bringing down laws that targeted gay people for offenses such as public assembly, same-sex dancing and cross-dressing. Currently in post-production. View the trailer on Vimeo here.



Race, directed by Katherine Cecil. Documentary. The film examines the first mayoral election held in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and explores issues of race in politics post-disaster, representation, voting rights, and disenfranchisement. Set against the backdrop of a devastated city trying to manage its recovery, and with the majority of its citizens still displaced, this became the most politically charged and historically noteworthy election ever held in this colorful, complex city. Sneak preview for a New Orleans audience, at Dillard University, in February 2010.




racethedocumentary.com


Walker Percy, A Documentary Film, directed by Winston Riley. Documentary. The film covers the life of the writer Walker Percy, who lived in New Orleans and Covington, and won the National Book Award in 1962 for his novel "The Moviegoer." Currently in post-production.


Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together, digital preservation and restoration of Stevenson J. Palfi's 1982 documentary about New Orleans piano legends Henry "Professor Longhair" Byrd, Allen Toussaint, and Isidore "Tuts" Washington. Video preservationist is Blaine Dunlap. View the trailer on Vimeo here.



Bury The Hatchet, directed by Aaron C. Walker. Documentary. The film follows three Big Chiefs of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian tradition as they prepare their costumes for Mardi Gras day. Throughout, encountering unimaginable obstacles, they reveal the history of traditions stretching back hundreds of years, and show how those traditions help hold communities together today. Premiering in 2010.



The Music's Gonna Get You Through, directed by Gabrielle Mullem. Documentary. The film follows Henry Butler and six of his students at a week-long jazz music camp for visually impaired teenagers. Butler doesn't take 'no' for an answer, so the students learn to give it all. Sneak preview in March 2010 at Patois in New Orleans; broadcast premiere April 25, 2010, 9 pm, WLAE-TV in New Orleans; anticipated broadcasts on PBS stations across the U.S. later in 2010.



www.TheMusicsGonnaGetYouThrough.com and Facebook

FAUBOURG TREMÉ: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans, directed by Dawn Logsdon and Lolis Eric Elie. Documentary. The film examines one of New Orleans' oldest neighborhoods, which gave rise to many of the most famous jazz musicians over the past 100+ years. The film premiered in 2008 and is currently appearing in festivals nationally and internationally, and is running on PBS.


www.tremedoc.com



Listen Up New Orleans, coordinated by Eve Abrams. Radio documentary. This project trains teenagers to create radio stories about themselves and their communities, which air on local radio stations such as WWOZ, and are archived on the internet. 2008.



wwozstreettalk.blogspot.com



Vows Of Silence, directed by Jason Berry. Documentary. The film follows the story of Father Marcial Maciel, a Catholic priest who founded a right-wing religious order in Mexico in the 1940s, and quickly forged personal ties to the Vatican. But many of his former seminarians and priests have since accused him of sexually abusing them as young seminarians. The film appeared in national and international festivals, is now airing in Italy, and will air in Spain and Ireland in Spring 2010.



www.VowsOfSilenceFilm.com


By Invitation Only, directed by Rebecca Snedeker.  Documentary. The story of a young woman who, 10 years ago at age 21, was supposed to make her debut to New Orleans society. But she wanted no part of it, and is now asking herself and her family some sticky questions to find out what she lost and what she gained. Premiered in April 2006 at the Full Frame Documentary Festival, followed by broadcasts on many PBS stations across the country.



Shalom Y'All, directed by Brian Bain. Documentary. The film is a funny, anecdotal, poignant look at a young Jewish man's struggle and search for his own Southern Jewish identity. Seen at many film festivals since 2002, as well as nationally on the Sundance Channel, and on more than 15 PBS stations.




www.shalomyall.com


Ruthie The Duck Girl, directed by Rick Delaup. Documentary. The film is the story of one of the French Quarter's most dynamic and eccentric characters, Ruth Moulon. For more than 50 years she roller-skated around the Quarter with her pet ducks in tow, but every outward feature points to a difficult event from her past. Aired in 1999 on WYES-TV in New Orleans.




Reverence: A Tribute to Allison Miner, directed by Amy Nesbitt. Documentary. The film is a look at the life and work of a woman who helped start the world-famous New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, struggling to unite people of different races, classes, and genders through the healing power of music. Premiered in New Orleans in 1997.



Patois, the New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival. The festival was founded by artists and activists, dedicated to nurturing New Orleans' human rights community, supporting the work of local organizers and organizations involved in these struggles, and providing a forum for artistic expression of local and international issues. It hosts a wide variety of films, workshops, and other events, with films from around the world and those from brilliant local filmmakers and vital local grassroots organizations. Originated
in 2004.



www.patoisfilmfest.org