It’s not just you.
Even now, as New Orleans marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and its historic devastation, it still feels too soon. Many in the city would rather talk about anything else.
But as difficult as it can be, remembering is perhaps the best way to honor the memory of those lost — and to ensure the human failures that contributed to the disaster never happen again.
To that end, filmmakers far and wide are marking the storm’s anniversary with new Katrina documentaries, which together offer recriminations and inspiration in equal measure.
So, whether you were too young to remember how it all went down or you just need a good cry, here’s a sampling of some of them, including where you can watch.
‘Paratus: A 20th Anniversary Special’
If the sheer volume of post-Katrina documentaries taught us anything, it’s that there is enough blame to go around for the storm’s impact on the Gulf South. This isn’t one of those stories, though. This is an inspiring story of heroism — specifically of that exhibited by the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard, whose sustained display of dedication both to their mission and to the people of South Louisiana saw them rescue more than 33,500 souls in the wake of the storm. Taking its name from the Coast Guard motto — “Semper Paratus,” or “Always Ready” — the 30-minute doc combines archival footage and new interviews to tell some of those stories anew.
Where to watch: Airs on WYES-Ch. 12 at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26; and again at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27.
‘Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time’
Turns out, filmmaker Ryan Coogler had more than vampires on his mind when he was in town filming his period horror film “Sinners.” He is also one of the executive producers this five-part docuseries for National Geographic. Directed by Traci A. Curry, one of the Oscar-nominated filmmakers behind the 2021 doc “Attica,” it blends archival footage with first-person accounts from survivors, first responders, government officials and others — including retired Times-Picayune environmental writer Mark Schleifstein — to recount the tragedy. “With the clear-eyed perspective of two decades of hindsight, this gripping historical record corrects persistent false narratives and exposes how a natural disaster became a national tragedy,” a studio-provided synopsis reads.
Where to watch: Now streaming on Hulu, Disney+, National Geographic.
‘Hope in High Water: A People’s Recovery Twenty Years After Hurricane Katrina’
Former Times-Picayune reporter and current MSNBC contributor Trymaine Lee — who was on the ground in the city when the levees broke — returns for this look back at the storm’s wrath that also, crucially, focuses on all that has occurred since, good and bad alike.
Where to watch: Premieres locally at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, at the Ashe Cultural Arts Center. Begins streaming Aug. 22 on Peacock.
‘Katrina 20’
It’s a truism so well-tested that it has almost become a punchline: You know a hurricane is going to be bad when, in the days leading up to it, the Weather Channel sets up shop in your town. Consequently, few people have quite the front-row seat that the channel’s reporters do to a storm’s strength and destruction. To mark the anniversary of Katrina, they plum their archives to offer viewers a look back — as well as an intriguing look at what a storm of such magnitude would do to the Gulf Coast today.
Where to watch: Premieres 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, on the Weather Channel, with encore performances scheduled throughout the week.
‘Katrina: Come Hell or High Water’
Spike Lee, whose “When the Levee Broke” focused on the undergirding inequities laid bare by the 2005 storm, returns to the subject as one of the directors of this three-part look back. Leaning heavily on first-person accounts from those who lived through it, “Come Hell or High Water” promises to be a deeply emotional — and at times infuriating — chronicle of all that has changed in the past 20 years (and, crucially, what hasn’t). “This isn’t a retelling,” the trailer makes clear. “This is a reckoning.”
Where to watch: Begins streaming Wednesday, Aug. 27, on Netflix.
‘Above the Tide — 20 Years After Katrina’
New Orleans native and Super Bowl-winning safety Ryan Clark hosts this look back, in which he connects with residents and local sports figures — Drew Brees, Steve Gleason, Sean Payton and Leonard Fournette among them — to discuss their Katrina experiences and pay homage to the resilience of New Orleans. Produced as part of the ESPN newsmagazine E60.
Where to watch: Now streaming on ESPN+.
‘Trouble the Water’
This powerful 2008 documentary, which earned an Oscar nomination for best documentary feature, chronicles the Katrina odyssey of Kimberly Rivers Roberts and husband Scott Roberts, two New Orleans stalwarts whose self-shot video footage provides the backbone for directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessen’s film. In addition to providing a heartbreaking glimpse of the ruin and misery of the storm, it also serves as a historical document, capturing the fear, anger, uncertainty and grief that dominated life in New Orleans for so many years afterwards. If any post-Katrina doc is worth a rewatch, this is it.
Where to watch: Now streaming on Hoopla and Kanopy (library card required).
‘Home’
Speaking of Katrina rewatches, this 2009 Tribeca-decorated short from filmmaker Matt Faust is among the few projects that gives “Trouble the Water” a run for its money in that category. Remarkably, it does it in only six minutes and with absolutely no dialogue. At its core is a flowing series of engaging, almost surreal photo composites — built from images plucked from Faust’s family photo album — that allows the “camera” to move through the frame. The result is beautifully poignant, as memories meld with post-Katrina reality in a warm but stirring rhythm that is difficult to forget, even all these years later.
Where to watch: Stream for free at mattfaust.myportfolio.com/film.
