Lost Stories of Katrina

My name is Ivory Lee Smith. I’m an actor and filmmaker born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina changed my life — and the lives of thousands of children like me.

My family and I were forced to evacuate, separating us from our mother and putting us in an unfamiliar environment. We lost our home. And when the storm passed, there was no real system in place to help children process what had happened. Most of us were expected to “move on” as if nothing had changed.

Years later, I’m only now beginning to understand how deeply that experience shaped my anxiety, my sense of self, and my voice as an artist.

Lost Stories of Katrina is a short narrative film told from the perspective of children, focusing on what it felt like to grow up in the aftermath of the storm, rather than endure it.