''Walking on Dead Fish'' (earlier full name ''Hurricane Season: Walking on Dead Fish'') is a 2008

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

by first-time American director, producer, and writer

Franklin Martin Franklin Martin was an American documentary film director, producer, screenwriter and actor best known for his sport documentaries ''Walking on Dead Fish'' in (2008) and '' Long Shot: The Kevin Laue Story'' in 2012. He founded and ran the product ...

. It is a heartfelt documentary about a small town high school football team and its "displaced players" who are thrown together by the powerful winds and floods of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. It is executive produced by Franklin Martin, Stan Cassio, and

Terry Bradshaw Terry Paxton Bradshaw (born September 2, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). Since 1994, he has been a television sports analyst an ...

; who also narrates the documentary.

Synopsis

''Walking on Dead Fish'' tells the story of the East St. John Wildcats, a small-town high school football team that looks within to brave the adversity delivered by

. Located just west of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, the tiny town of

LaPlace Pierre-Simon, marquis de Laplace (; ; 23 March 1749 – 5 March 1827) was a French scholar and polymath whose work was important to the development of engineering, mathematics, statistics, physics, astronomy, and philosophy. He summarized ...

, Louisiana escaped the cruel flooding of its neighbor only to suffer a different kind of flood, the overnight influx of 20,000 displaced hurricane victims. Its under-funded high school,

East St. John High School East St. John High School is a high school in Reserve, Louisiana, Reserve, an unincorporated area in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, United States. The school is a part of St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools. As of 2013–2014, the ...

, took in 450 displaced students and 20 of them joined the football team. With their first two games already cancelled, the Wildcats and their 20 new teammates, some from rival schools, take the field against rival Hahnville despite being short on equipment and practice time and wearing both home and away jerseys. This group of teenage boys, blown together by the winds of Katrina, decide to make the best of their situation overcome the tragedy of losing their homes and schools. Despite vastly different social, economic, and racial backgrounds, they unite to overcome the tragedy that they all have in common, and quickly begin winning games. The films explores the recovery from the worst natural disaster in our country's history through the eyes of a group of 16-year-old boys forced to quickly become men. In doing so, they unite a devastated school and lift the spirit of a broken community. More than football and more than Katrina, ''Walking on Dead Fish'' is a testament to the will of young men who put “we” before “me”.

Release

The film was released theatrically on September 19, 2008, by

Variance Films Variance Films is a privately held film distribution company founded in 2008 that uses an innovative model of self-distribution combined with select elements of traditional theatrical distribution to allow filmmakers to achieve quality theatrical ...

and Dutchmen Films. The film debuted in New Orleans, taking in over $11,000 in one theater in its first weekend, the #3 per screen average in the country. The film is currently in a rolling release throughout the Southern United States. A national release has not been announced.

External links

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''Sports Illustrated'' Article * 2008 films 2008 independent films Documentary films about Hurricane Katrina Documentary films about American football American sports documentary films High school football films Variance Films films 2000s high school films 2008 directorial debut films Films shot in Louisiana Films set in Louisiana High school football in Louisiana 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{sport-documentary-film-stub