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Sidetrack Films, producers of AJ Schnack's new doc, "Kurt Cobain About A Son" have signed on as co-producers of Zack Godshall's "Low and Behold," premiering in the Spectrum section at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival later this month. Described by the company as "the first narrative feature about Hurricane Katrina," the film is further described as:
"A blend of documentary and fiction...the film was written by and stars Barlow Jacobs, who evacuated New Orleans when Katrina hit before returning to work as an insurance claim adjuster. He then wrote a script based on those experiences and used the money he made to finance the film."
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From indieWIRE – Posted on January 03 2007
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Tell us about Low and Behold—what is the movie about?
Low And Behold is about Turner Stull, an aimless young man who arrives in New Orleans ready to work for his Uncle Stully, a seasoned pro in the claims business. But the shy, reticent Turner is unprepared to deal with people who have lost everything and feels overwhelmed by the utter devastation and personal loss everywhere around him. In a moment of crisis, Turner agrees to help a boisterous, freespirited local man, Nixon, search for his lost dog. In exchange, Nixon lends his comedic charms and people skills to helping the bewildered young adjuster complete his insurance claims. Their informal partnership grows into an unlikely friendship as they navigate their way through the storm-damaged city on a journey that will change Turner's life.
The film grew out of your experiences working a short-term job as a claims adjuster in the Coastal South area after the Katrina disaster. What prompted you to open up your laptop and start writing the film script?
New Orleans was my home. After Katrina I was broke, homeless and asking the same question so many other people in the city were asking, ‘What now?’ I got a call from a family friend who suggested I drive to Texas and get a temporary claim adjusters license and come work for him in South Florida. Though I was a little skeptical, I didn’t know what else to do, so I drove to Texas. I went through five days of intensive training and was baptized into the world of claim adjusting. It was an insane week and I filled up an entire notebook of stories- quotes- conversations- character descriptions.
After Katrina, I was asking a lot of questions, trying to grasp the enormity of the events that were unfolding around me. I believed a story about a young claim adjuster would be the perfect way to wrestle with those questions. So I moved to South Florida and became a claim adjuster. I worked twenty hours a day- seven days a week for three months. By the time I returned to New Orleans I had enough experience and money to make Low And Behold.
While I was claim adjusting I was faced with moments extreme tragedy, but was surprised to find that there were also moments of profound comedy. Zack and I wanted to flesh that out in Low And Behold. We were not using comedy as a form of relief from the world that surrounded us, but as a form of redemption. We also found much of this ‘comedy’ when working with the non-actors while shooting unscripted scenes that make up a large portion of the film. Life in post Katrina New Orleans is extremely complex it is those complexities that made Low And Behold such an intriguing film to write and make. – read more
From ActorsLife.com – Posted on December 28 2006
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NEW YORK, NY and NEW ORLEANS, LA -- Low And Behold, a narrative film about a shy, aimless young man transplanted into post-Katrina New Orleans in the unlikely role of an insurance claims adjuster, has been selected for the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, the premier showcase for the best new work of American and international independent filmmakers. Low and Behold will premiere on January 21 as part of the festival’s American Spectrum section, which presents more adventuresome genres of independent filmmaking.
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From IndependentFilm.com – Posted on December 15 2006
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What our eyes behold has more to do with what we want to see, rather than what is actually there in front of us. Zack Godshall's emotional first feature, Low and Behold, tells the tale of a young man who comes to post-Katrina Louisiana and gets a new set of eyes after being forced to deal with the mass destruction that surrounds him. – read more
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"I want to make films," says Zack Godshall, seated at the breakfast nook of his Lafayette home. "I figured I couldn't make 20 films this year, so I'd try to make the one that felt the most pertinent; one that had the most weight on the heart."
Godshall warms his hands around his fresh mug of coffee.
"If I didn't tell that story, it'd tear me up."
If Godshall didn't tell his story, he also wouldn't have received an invite to premiere his film at one of the most renowned festivals in the realm of independent cinema. The 27-year-old Lafayette native, who graduated from film school only one year ago, will present Low and Behold, a fictional film with documentary elements, at the Sundance Film Festival. – read more
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SYNOPSIS
What our eyes behold has more to do with what we want to see, rather than what is actually there in front of us. Zack Godshall's emotional first feature, Low and Behold, tells the tale of a young man who comes to post-Katrina Louisiana and gets a new set of eyes after being forced to deal with the mass destruction that surrounds him.
Turner Stull arrives in New Orleans to take a job with his uncle at Bridge Catastrophe Service, an opportunistic company that has set up shop to process insurance claims on hurricane-damaged homes. Turner's no-nonsense attitude collides head-on with the brewing anger and frustration of his loquacious and salty southern clientele. One day, he meets Nixon, a family man who asks for his help in finding his daughter's lost dog. Turner heartlessly turns his back on Nixon, but the two men are destined to become emotional catalysts in each other's lives.
Shot in a largely destroyed section of New Orleans and interweaving slices of local survivors' testimony, Low and Behold is a powerfully evocative film that puts a complex, human face on the enormity of this national tragedy. You may leave the theatre with new eyes of your own.
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