Made by native New Orleanian director Logsdon, Elie and producer Lucie Faulknor, the film interweaves vintage footage of New Orleans classic past times and interviews with notable locals: jazz musician and multi-Grammy winner Wynton Marsalis, poet and American Book Award winner Brenda Marie Osbey and actor, playwright Lenwood Sloan, along with various other commentators. The documentary originally centered on Elie and his move back to his hometown. He had purchased a historic house with the intent of restoring it and in the process, he discovered the ancient history of African-Americans and the roots of the city's culture.

Yes, the film delves into Katrina, the apocalyptic hurricane that devastated this culturally rich city. Yes, it molls over the misery, displacement and loss felt by its proud natives that keep the machinery of the city's livelihood functioning. But, look too deep into the murky toxic water that flooded this city, and one will miss the complexity and progressive nature of the world that was and is the true birth place of the Civil Rights Movement. In the 1860s, blacks were already fighting for their freedom. New Orleans had the largest slave revolt in American history. Blacks were already fighting for a seat in front of the bus before Rosa Parks was too tired to walk to the back. In the clear sight of whites, blacks were dancing traditionals in a part of town called Congo Square. They were buying their freedom from their masters and becoming self-employed entrepreneurs, "The French and Spanish allowed for several ways in which slaves could obtain their freedom. Once free, these people were given a lot of leeway to expand their wealth and influence. They were never allowed to be equal to whites socially, but they were well poised for great accomplishment," Elie says.

The dominating factor in this film to me, as an African-American, was how detached I felt in part because I had no idea how influential and important New Orleans was to America. "New Orleans is not so much overlooked as put into a separate category," Elie explains. "All Americans are aware of the city and have a vague knowledge of the music and celebrations here, but they don't connect that to the mainstream of American history and culture." When Katrina struck New Orleans, the media appeared to have a moment of honesty and determination to passionately report on this tragic event through a perceived objectivity. They managed to expose the incompetence of the federal government, but in all their human interests stories, from MSNBC to CNN, they somehow missed revealing the vast, ingenious history that is told in Faubourg Treme. Ironically, what I think most outsiders saw, was what I had heard, referring to New Orleans as a third world country in the aftermath of Katrina. Here's a city with an undeniable culture that has influenced America in all facets of society, and yet, these united states divided themselves from New Orleans.

Blacks had sent a coalition to Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War to demand voting rights. They were fighting over land rights in the courts while illegally teaching each other how to read and write. The Tribune was the first black daily newspaper founded by Paul Trevigne. Blacks were already publishing their own poetry and playing jazz way before it was a stereotype to be a black hipster during the Harlem Renaissance. The greatest food America has to offer and pass off as its very own creation comes from New Orleans. Still, just like past African-American leaders that are overlooked and not even given so much as a footnote in the history books, New Orleans is no different.

Faubourg Treme's bravery resides in telling its story. Its artistry enters through the back door by putting facts or answers before the viewer to instigate dialogue and questioning; there are a lot of "I didn't know that?" moments throughout. But then, more than fact, it's a film swollen in the blues till it simultaneously combusts into an unbroken faith and unwavering hope.