As Jack Silverman points out in this week’s Nashville Scene, “the universe works in mysterious ways,” referring to the fact that this weekend’s ITVS Community Cinema screening of A Village Called Versailles — presented by ITVS, NPT, Hands on Nashville and the Nashville Film Festival — was scheduled in September of 2009, many months before the Nashville floods.
S. Leo Chiang’s film, which screens on Saturday, May 15 at 3:00 p.m. at the Nashville Public Library downtown, is the story of a New Orleans neighborhood called Versailles, where a tight-knit group of Vietnamese Americans overcame obstacles to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, only to have their homes threatened by a new government-imposed toxic landfill. It tells an empowering story of how the Versailles people, who have already suffered so much in their lifetime, turn a devastating disaster into a catalyst for change and a chance for a better future.
“It’s hard to imagine a more timely film,” writes Silverman, ” … a story that should inspire Nashvillians when we need it most.”
The film picked up the audience award at the New Orleans Film Festival, and the Best Documentary Award at the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival.
For more on the film and the “Versailles” check out the story on the film’s site.
The screening will be prefaced by a reception at 2:30, and followed by a panel discussion. You won’t want to miss this one.
