Katrina story, “Hurricane on the Bayou” premieres at Planetarium

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 – and that New Orleans would fall victim to a history-changing catastrophe in the middle of the film's production. Now the filmmaking team switched gears while in motion, broadening “Hurricane on the Bayou” to provide an eye-opening 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.

Streep introduces the audience to four charismatic New Orleans musicians: the legendary singer, songwriter, pianist, producer and Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame inductee Allen Toussaint; the impassioned Cajun Blues guitarist and wetlands activist Tab Benoit; the 14-year-old fiddling prodigy and rising teen sensation Amanda Shaw; and the man who discovered Amanda and helped produce her first album, the high-energy Zydeco accordion master Chubby Carrier. Each has an incredible story to tell about their love for Louisiana and their loss during Katrina.

Ultimately, the story builds to the monster storm that was Katrina and the crisis it brought to New Orleans, causing families to be separated, homes to be lost and one hundred square miles of wetlands and marshes to be destroyed by saltwater (including damaged caused by Hurricane Rita). Visceral, state-of-the-art CGI effects created recreates the fury of the storm when fierce winds tore off the roof of the Superdome. Then, haunting, never-before-seen 70mm footage of the storm's aftermath provides a shocking reminder of just how vast the storm's devastation really was. Finally, returning to New Orleans in the bittersweet 2006 Mardi Gras season, the film reveals a city in the first throes of recovery – and reunites the musicians for a passionate performance of a resonant modern hymn in the oldest cathedral in North America, New Orleans ' elegant St. Louis Cathedral.

“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,” said MacGillivray. “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 that would be unlike any other footage that has been seen -- 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.”  

Show time for “Hurricane on the Bayou is Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and at 3 p.m. during the Saturday matinee.

Also new to the lineup is the return of 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. In the extraordinary plenty of Alaska's summers with its long days of 20 hours of sunlight, viewers will find themselves fishing with brown bears, soaring with bald eagles, dodging caving glaciers experiencing the fascinating feeding strategy of humpback whales and racing on the hooves of caribou – all from the comfort of a theatre seat. Show time is Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.

The weekend shows conclude with the laser light shows “Laser Zeppelin” with the music of the legendary band Led Zeppelin, and “Dark Side of the Moon,” featuring every track from Pink Floyd's best-selling album.

The Saturday matinee opens at 1 p.m. with “Animalopolis.” Comprised of segments featuring a whimsical look at the animal kingdom, the film is a “Seussian - styled” treatment done in rhyme and verse that carries a humorous tone. The movie concentrates on real - world activities, such as seabird mating dances, migration and how various species survive in the wild, while blending in fun, interesting vignettes that will enthuse and excite audiences of all ages.

At 2 p.m. “Far Out Space Places” returns to take you on adventure through the galaxy. This interactive planetarium show tours the solar system as the audience selects each galactic vacation destination. Explore the magnificent surfaces of the planets, moons and asteroids through the latest imagery captured by interplanetary spacecraft. The audience can also choose to dive beneath the oceans of Jupiter's moon Europa, ski the polar ice caps of Mars or visit the newly discovered planet Xena among the many travel choices of the Planetarium's vacation database.

The matinee ends with the laser light show “Space Laser” at 4 p.m. This show features songs with a science or space them such as “Men In Black,” “Rock Lobster,” She Blinded Me With Science” and many more.

For complete show descriptions, log onto www.starsatnight.org. The Mayborn Planetarium is located on the campus of Central Texas College.

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