Can't Stop the Water

For 170 years, a Native American Cajun community has occupied Isle de Jean Charles, tiny island deep in the bayous of south Louisiana. They have fished, hunted, and lived off the land. Now the land that has sustained them for generations is vanishing before their eyes. A host of environmental problems – coastal erosion, lack of soil renewal, oil company and government canals, and sea level rise fr...om global warming – are overwhelming the island. Over the last century, Isle de Jean Charles has been gradually shrinking, and it is now almost gone.

The BP oil spill has just been one more crisis that for this community to endure. Millions of gallons of oil and dispersants have devastated the waters surrounding the island, the livelihoods of many islanders, who work as fishermen, shrimpers, and oystermen, have been affected. Those who vowed to stay on the island until it completely washed away now face an even more uncertain future.

For these Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians, their land is more than simply a place to live. It is the epicenter of their people and traditions. It is where, for eight generations, their ancestors cultivated a unique part of Louisiana culture. Our film tells their story.