'Hurricane on the Bayou' premieres at Planetarium Posted On: Wednesday, Aug. 5 2009 05:50 AM Special to the Daily Herald

A powerfully moving, new large-format film, "Hurricane on the Bayou," premieres this weekend at the Mayborn Planetarium and Space Theater.

Unfolding against the poignant backdrop of the most costly natural disaster in America's history, the film carries audiences on a journey deep into the soul-stirring heart of Louisiana – before, during and after the unprecedented devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

The original idea for the film was do a story to sound the alarm on the destruction of Louisiana's vital wetlands and how a hypothetical hurricane could lead to a massive flood in New Orleans. But for the film's director, Greg MacGillivray, it became all too real as the very nightmare he was exploring on film was about to become real life – New Orleans fell victim to a history-changing catastrophe in the middle of the film's production.

The filmmaking team switched gears, broadening "Hurricane on the Bayou" to provide a visual panorama of all Katrina had wrought – and creating a larger-than-life look at what the nation would stand to lose without the rollicking music, rich culture and astonishing natural beauty of New Orleans and its surrounding areas.

Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep and driven by a rousing jazz, blues and gospel-fueled soundtrack, "Hurricane on the Bayou" is both a haunting document of a storm's human effects and a compelling call to restore Louisiana's wetlands, rebuild New Orleans and honor the place where America's most vibrant home-grown culture was born.

"We set out originally to tell the story of a future, hypothetical hurricane and how the rapid erosion of the wetlands left New Orleans more vulnerable to flooding," MacGillivray said. "But when Katrina struck in the middle of doing that, everything changed. We had to completely rethink the film, which evolved into a much broader and more deeply emotional story than we ever imagined. We realized we had a unique ability to get dramatic IMAX footage of how Katrina impacted New Orleans ...

and to tell this story in a way that captures the humanity of it, the essential role of the wetlands environment and the undeniable, musical magic of the city all at once."

"Hurricane on the Bayou" will air at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Also returning to the lineup is the large-format film "Alaska: Spirit of the Wild." The film transports the audience on a voyage into the last great frontier where nature enchants the eye with magnificent spectacles. It airs at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For complete show descriptions, schedules and ticket prices, go to www.starsatnight.org.

The Mayborn Planetarium is on the campus of Central Texas College.