SHAKE THE DEVIL OFF

It is six months since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans. People, mostly poor Afro-Americans, have lost their families, homes, and jobs. And now, the merciless axe of catholic bureaucracy has just fallen: the archdiocese is about to close Saint Augustine Church and dismiss its charismatic Father LeDoux. The parishioners are aghast. Not only is Saint Augustine Church a highly symbolic place for the Afro-American community – it was there that for the first time, slaves, free black people and whites sat side by side, praying to God, - but St. Augustine, the birthplace of jazz and gospel, is also providing food, clothing and spiritual aid to a community on its knees. The parishioners suspect the archdiocese has other reasons for closing the Church than just financial ones … And when all negotiations fail, they become furious. It is now time for action. It is time to shake the devil off! They occupy the church, build barricades, hold jazz masses with the "first family of jazz" Marsalis performing. And as we watch, as spectators at the forefront of the events, heroes are born in front of the camera.

"At times, the documentary seems more like a movie. I was struck with just this as I was filming. People spoke with such passion and clarity, it was as if it were scripted. And as with most movies, there is conflict, confrontation, heightened tension, a climax and denouement. We experienced events as the protagonists experienced them. They were every bit as rich as fictional characters in literature and cinema, and they had all changed by the end of the film." Peter Entell

"… a story that is at various times devastating, hopeful, infuriating, funny and poignant." Matthew Hays, Montreal Mirror, November 2007

"Shake the Devil Off is one of those rare documentaries that combines an engaging central character, a clear struggle in progress, and an unexpected ending … As the fight evolves, students and others both black and white, join forces to occupy the church in an act of civil disobedience, and heroes are born as the cameras roll." Jonny Leahan, indieWIRE

"I am, by my very nature, a peaceful man. I will not raise a fist in rage. I do not seek revenge nor do I speak out of spite, envy, hatred or woundedness. I have very seldom even raised my voice in anger. But, there is a time ...

There is a time when justice demands a response ... there is a time when one cannot sit idly by and merely be an observer to the goings on in the world. There is a time when love commands us to respond, not with fists or fights, but with love, justice, presence and power. There is a time when we must live the words "the truth will set you free" with our words, our actions, our thoughts and our prayers. Being a man of peace calls me not to be an observer of the injustices of the world, but to be a full participant in the daily joys and sorrows, defeats and triumphs of my global brothers and sisters.
I must, if I am to be a man of peace, commit every cell of my being towards shaking the devil off and raising the victorious hand of God, of love, of peace and of justice.
Shake the Devil Off, a documentary from Swiss filmmaker Peter Entell, is both a celebratory and a revelatory call to action in post-Katrina New Orleans that is as much a love song to New Orleans as it is a testimony of one community's faith journey." Richard Propes, The Peaceful Critic Reviews, October 2007

Award: Prix Montage, Montreal 2007

http://www.shakethedeviloff.com