Independent Lens: Mine/Home

Airs Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV

Malvin Cavalier, an 86-year old New Orleans resident, was separated from his companion, Bandit, for close to a year after Hurricane Katrina.

Credit: Geralyn Pezanoski/ITVS

Above: Malvin Cavalier, an 86-year old New Orleans resident, was separated from his companion, Bandit, for close to a year after Hurricane Katrina.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Standing in the doorway of her destroyed New Orleans home, displaced resident Linda Charles has been told her dog Precious is better off with her new adoptive family.

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Credit: Geralyn Pezanoski/ITVS

Above: Standing in the doorway of her destroyed New Orleans home, displaced resident Linda Charles has been told her dog Precious is better off with her new adoptive family.

"Mine" tells the poignant and powerful story of animals left behind during Katrina, and of the struggles of hurricane victims to reunite with their beloved pets. A meditation on the essential bond between humans and animals, this program is an equally compelling story of race and class — and the power of compassion — in contemporary America.

"Home" is a touching portrayal of the essence of home and the feeling of loss that occurs when home becomes a memory.

Director Matthew Faust conveys his themes through a bittersweet, evocative archive of his family house in Chalmette, Louisiana, that was flooded by Hurricane Katrina.

Video

Video Excerpt: Independent Lens: Mine/Home

Above: During the evacuation for Hurricane Katrina, people were forced to leave behind more than just their homes. Thousands of stranded pets were rescued and then adopted into new homes across the United States. As residents slowly returned to try and rebuild their lives, these "Katrina pets" became the center of full-blown custody battles, with people on both sides struggling to do what was right in the midst of an impossibly complex situation.

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