Visit A Village Called Versailles Where Even Hurricane Katrina Couldn’t Keep New Orleans’ Vietnamese Community Down

A village called Versailles rises from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina

ITVS Community and National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA) are proud to support A Village Called Versailles with Community Cinema screening events and materials in support of its national broadcast on Independent Lens later this month.

The Vietnamese Americans were a quiet community, barely noticed outside of East New Orleans. Self-sufficient and industrious, they tended lush garden plots, ran a weekly farmer’s market, built homes, bought cars, and generally achieved the American dream.

The center of their community was — and still is — Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church, and its pastor and leader, Father Vien, who joined the congregation in 2003.

When Hurricane Katrina destroyed all that they had built, it was an emotionally wrenching time. When the flood waters covered their community and they were forced to evacuate, those who had once fled their country in boats now found themselves in boats again, looking for refuge.

Although they were dispersed to several cities in Texas and to Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas (where many had originally come as refugees from Vietnam), the tight-knit network created by the church helped Father Vien to maintain communication with his flock. Six weeks after Hurricane Katrina, some residents of Versailles came back and started rebuilding.

Watch a preview of the film here.

A Versailles gardener takes a moment away from her work

The film’s director, S. Leo Chiang, says of the experience, “It took two and a half years to capture this story. I am grateful that members of the Versailles community trusted me to tell their story. Before I made this film, the word “community” would come up in conversations from time to time, but making this film has taught me what “community” really means — a group of people, family or not, who always have each other’s back. I want the audience to walk away from this film moved by this story as much as I have been and continue to be. I also want them to feel empowered, especially viewers who are a part of any underserved and/or underrepresented group. I want them to believe that, united with their friends and family, they, too, can make a difference.”

The film doesn’t just scratch the surface of the complex and frustrating reactions to hurricane Katrina it opens a new window on the story. Rebuilding a community (literally from the ground up) can only happen if all the residents young and old join together. This is the story of rebuilding… everything. Find your free event!

Tags: community activism, east new orleans, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, vietnamese