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St. Martin Friar's Film
Film on Hurricane Katrina Wins Award



Not BrokenHOUSTON, TX May 14, 2008-- Not Broken, a feature documentary about the Katrina disaster, was awarded a first place award – the prestigious Platinum Remi Award – at the 41st WorldFest-Houston 2008, a highly regarded international film and video festival and competition. Not Broken was produced and directed by Armando P. Ibáñez, OP of St. Martin province.

“This is a highly competitive film and video festival with more entries than most other festivals…,” a spokesperson for WorldFest states. “WorldFest is the oldest Indie Film Festival in the world, and the 3rd oldest International Film Festival in North America … so we are seeking the newest and the very best! … The mission/vision of WorldFest is to recognize and honor outstanding creative excellence in fi lm & video, to validate brilliant abilities.”

Kris Kristofferson, whose song Shipwrecked in the 80s, is included in the feature documentary’s soundtrack, says: “This powerful, moving documentary of the Katrina disaster is a testament to the courage and integrity of the Human Spirit.” Ibanez's film has also won other honors, including selected among the top three documentaries from 500 submitted from around the globe to the AFIA Film International Festival, Aarhus, Denmark.

“Our documentary is different,” says Ibáñez. “We include people’s faith because spirituality is a critical layer of the Katrina story, which is often ignored. Faith, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or whatever, helped people through the catastrophe, and is helping them heal and rebuild,” said Ibanez..

The federal, state, and City of New Orleans governments failed miserably, according to those interviewed in the documentary, produced by Pluma Pictures, Inc., a non-profi t film production company. The American Red Cross’s response was criticized as sluggish, and, in Dallas, authorities refused to allow Roman Catholic priests to minister to their flock, who had taken refuge at the Reunion Arena.

Had it not been for churches, synagogues, temples and people of faith, some fear there would have been many more dead. Not Broken illustrates the horrific life-and-death ordeals and struggles some people faced at the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina, as well as their heroics. In the aftermath, some faced gross governmental incompetence, neglect, crime, racism and religious bigotry. Their faith, however, provided a reservoir of strength, not only for their survival, but in also aiding others.


RELATED LINKS

See a YouTube Trailer of Not Broken


WorldFest Houston Intenrational Film Festival

Pluma Pictures


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