Las Vegas, NV (January 26, 2006) – TaskForce Entertainment LLC has announced pre-production on a new television documentary which recalls the heroic efforts of emergency service volunteers, who responded to Hurricane Katrina, this nation’s worst natural disaster. The program is directed by filmmaker and former firefighter Lou Angeli, whose “Answering The Call: Ground Zero’s Volunteers” was introduced in Las Vegas this week and has already won national critical acclaim.

The still untitled feature length documentary picks up as the devastating hurricane sweeps through the Gulf States, leaving behind destruction and death to an area the size of Great Britain. Shortly after the storm passed, thousands of volunteers from throughout the nation quickly responded to cities and towns along the Gulf Coast to lend a helping hand. They were followed by tens of thousands of others from the US and abroad.

In the wake of the tragic storm, much of the news has been negative and critical of local, state and federal government. “I’ll leave it to the networks and Michael Moore to tell that story,” the Delaware filmmaker says. For the filmmaker, the most compelling story that Katrina offers is that of human spirit. “We learned the lesson at Ground Zero that volunteers are crucial to any disaster response.” Angeli explains, “The same spirit that energized those 9/11 volunteers, guided the 100,000 plus volunteers who responded to Katrina.”

As in “Answering The Call,” Katrina’s volunteers are the storytellers, as coordinators and front line personnel come forward to share their experiences. And they hit the ground running. Many came thinking they’d be serving sandwiches and soft drinks. But Angeli is quick to note that, “Ultimately, their mission was to save lives as well.” Their stories are illustrated by never before seen video and still imagery of dramatic rescues as well as the unprecedented volunteer response.

The filmmaker says he’ll include a section dealing with the many lessons learned following the killer storm as the question is asked, “Are we prepared for similar disasters?” That question will be answered by experts who represent a wide range of emergency response organizations, which participated during the disaster response.

As a filmmaker, Lou Angeli specializes in producing documentaries and programming dealing with disasters and emergency response. His first, California’s 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, was followed by stories dealing with Hurricane Andrew, The Northridge Earthquake, The Great Flood 1993 and the Oklahoma City Bombing. The new documentary will be completed by the first anniversary of the storm and will be offered to broadcasters, cable programmers, as well as other digital media outlets.

The filmmaker is currently seeking volunteers, both individuals and groups, who responded to the disaster, to help tell this very important story. He’s also looking for a production staffers to help in this all-volunteer project. His hope is that the filmmaking community will come forward to lend their assistance in what is clearly one of the two great stories of the new millennium.


####