Director Spike Lee is taking a look at how far New Orleans has comes along five years after Hurricane Katrina in a new documentary.
 
If God Is Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise starts off with a somewhat-angry recitation by Phyllis Montana-Leblanc, a Katrina survivor featured in his documentary When The Levees Broke. By contrast, the next scene in the new film is a fairly upbeat as fans of the New Orleans Saints gather to cheer the team on before a game.

 
But Spike is careful not to let the audience be fooled by the happy scene. When he filmed the first part of the documentary there was still much work to be done. Many displaced residents hadn’t been able to go home for various reasons, including an inflated cost of living.

 
If God Is Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise takes a close look at what has happened in New Orleans effort to rebuild itself. The second half of the documentary examines the great toll that this summer’s catastrophic oil spill in the gulf took on the region.
 
Tune into HBO tonight at 9 p.m. for the premiere of part one of If God Is Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise.  The second half the documentary debuts tomorrow night.

-- Sonya Eskridge

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