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Plucky's avatar

Why do you think there are so many movies about 9/11; yet, a very small amount about disasters like Hurricane Katrina?

Asked by Plucky (10316points) April 23rd, 2012

I was looking for movies the other day about Hurricane Katrina. I’m in Canada and have found nothing available to me (other than online information about a few movies). The 9/11 disaster has so many movies that I actually got tired of seeing them pop up over the years.

Is the difference because there was an “enemy” from 9/11? As it was caused by humans and not nature. Maybe the conspiracy buzz surrounding it? What about the media?

It just seems to me that there were two very different reactions to both disasters. This, in turn, could explain the incredible difference in the amount of movies made about the two events. I know more time has passed since 9/11 but it still seems really unequal.

What do you think?

Note: 9/11 meaning the Twin Towers disaster.

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13 Answers

WestRiverrat's avatar

Only reason I can think of is one was manmade which lends itself to conspiracy theories, while the other was largely a natural disaster.

I think the weather channel had a pretty good program on hurricane Katrina.

6rant6's avatar

I think your perception is skewed. Do you know about these Katrina movies?

Plucky's avatar

@6rant6 Yes, I actually found that page during my search. There are more documentaries, of course. The amount still doesn’t seem like a lot to me. I’m also looking for more movies that actually made it to the big screen (which I didn’t state in the question).

bkcunningham's avatar

“When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts” by Spike Lee

“Trouble the Water” by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

“The Axe in the Attic” directed by Ed Pincus and Lucia Small

“God Provides” a short by Brian Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky

“Happy Here and Now” by independent director Michael Almereyda

“Hurrican Season” starring Forest Whitaker

“Low and Behold”

“New Orleans, Mon Amour”

“Fullness of Time”

“Waiting for Godot”

“Circles of Confusion”

“The Second Line”

“Glory at Sea”

From the above NY Times site.

marinelife's avatar

The cachet of terrorism. The drama of the towers falling.

ragingloli's avatar

The only film about 9/11 that I know of is the absolutely factually correct Fahrenheit 911.

JLeslie's avatar

Looking for movies that made it to the big screen. I actually can’t think of hurricane movies that made it to the big screen. Not ones that are about a real hurricane or a documentary type flick. I can think of airplane hijackings and other terrorist incidents. But, I am working off of memory, there definitely could be movies I am unaware of.

Adirondackwannabe's avatar

Maybe Katrina was about incompetence on so many levels, from start to finish, so it wasn’t anything anyone wants to really remember. 9/11 was more shocking, but the response was much more professional and the bravery of those responders was unbelieveable. Over 300 fire fighters and police went to those buildings, looked up, and said we’ll try. And the people in the buildings dug down and helped each other get out. Plus the passengers that tried to take back the plane over PA.

Jeruba's avatar

Cynical response: assuming that the premise is factually sound, the reason would have to be that there’s more money to be made (i.e., greater return on investment) from dramatizing an enemy attack as entertainment than from dramatizing a hurricane.

One factor might be the cost of the requisite special effects versus expected return.

JLeslie's avatar

@Adirondackwannabe I would think during Katrina people helped each other also. The police and emergency workers were pushed to the brink trying tootheir jobs from what I remember.

ucme's avatar

Conspiracy theorists wet dream?
You see, the narrative that comes with all “fairy tales” is far more seductive to these individuals than boring plain old facts.

Nullo's avatar

Hurricanes and their aftermath are ultimately impersonal. You’re dealing either with a natural disaster (and one too weak, really, to milk for disaster movie points) or faceless crowds looting or else languishing in a football stadium. And there’s a distinct danger of forgetting to leave out the Wal-Mart relief effort, something that no doubt plagues many an aspiring Katrina-minded studio.~

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