January 15, 2019

What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire? (Documentary)


Roberto Minervini’s “What You Gonna Do When the World’s on Fire?” is a documentary portrait of working-class African-Americans in New Orleans mired in struggles for social justice and preservation of their cultural identity. Shot in a high contrast black-and-white, in-your-face style, the film forces the audience to contend with anger and fear. Minervini wants that confrontation to facilitate a much-needed discussion on race, racism, and privilege in America. Assembled from nearly 150 hours of footage, the film captures a black community in Louisiana that mirrors many others as it comes to grips with the effects of a history scarred by racism, and facing an administration that seems to root against its success. That past includes two events that shook the state and the nation: Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the death of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, who was shot by Baton Rouge Police Department officers in July 2016. What audiences will experience is an intense, deeply moving documentary, capturing the stories of people navigating despair and precarious paths, whose only desire is to better the world they inhabit. Minervini wants the experience to create brutally honest discourse around the issues his film highlights. “I don’t want us to be so cautious anymore,” he said. “Where do we go from here, is a question we must ask ourselves. The answer lies beyond cinema, which can only serve as the trigger. But we must find a way forward together.” Click HERE for more information via IndieWire. Watch the trailer below...