Environmental Documentary to Show at UT on Feb. 13

"Veins in the Gulf," a documentary on Louisiana's disappearing wetlands in the wake of multiple environmental disasters, will be shown at Reeves Theater in the Vaughn Center at The University of Tampa on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. The screening and reception are free and open to the public.

“Veins in the Gulf” documents both the professional predictions and devastating aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the struggles of Cajun culture. A discussion and Q-and-A with the filmmakers on the subject of coastal degradation in the Gulf will follow the viewing.

The film was begun in 2003 by two former UT professors, Elizabeth Coffman and Martha Serpas, and their UT students in film production and poetry. Joined by filmmaker Ted Hardin, film and video professor at Columbia College Chicago, the project evolved over nine years. Coffman and Serpas will spend the day at UT and will answer questions after the film.

Grants and research funding came from five universities and numerous environmental organizations, matching the assistance of scores of Louisiana residents and artists. The film was completed this winter. UT student footage is included.

For information on the film, or to view the trailer, visit www.veinsinthegulf.com.

Audrey Colombe, UT associate professor of English and Writing, and an associate producer of the film, said the film was nearly completed twice. “But then Katrina happened, and then the Gulf oil disaster,” she said. “Every time we went back to film, landmarks and structures from previous trips were simply gone. We felt lucky to have the earlier footage.”

After the screening and a Q&A with the filmmakers, a Cajun-inspired reception in the Plant Hall Music Room will celebrate the local, UT effort. Ella's Americana Folk Art Café is donating food and drink and sponsoring a drawing for a gift certificate.

This event is sponsored jointly by UT’s College of Arts and Letters and College of Natural and Health Sciences. For more information, contact Colombe at acolombe@ut.edu.