In December 2005 filmmaker Laura Belsey traveled to New Orleans to document the lives of children. Her work provides an unfiltered view of an experience that many of us have seen only in photographs and on the evening news. Eschewing the standard documentary formula of experts and authorities—always adults—Katrina’s Children offers a startling portrait of the impact and meaning of Hurricane Katrina entirely from the viewpoint of kids. They come from all different walks of life. Some have lost everything—their homes, their loved ones, and their friends.

Belsey, who was born in New Orleans, says that kids know what is fair and what is not fair. They have an innate sense of justice and compassion. The film, which uses the drawings and artwork of the children profiled as a lens through which to view what happened, reveals an interior world that we rarely see. To find out more about Katrina’s Children listen to the interview and visit www.katrinaschildren.com.

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