Category: Narrative Short
Year: 2010
Run Time: 15 min
Credits: Director/Writer/Editor: Ya'Ke Smith | Cinematographer: Yuta Yamaguchi | Cast: Herman Whitney, Michael Cantu, Monique Straw, Nadine Mozon, SkudR Jones, Sue Penn

ARKANSAS PREMIERE!

Synopsis: Widely regarded as one of this generation's next film directors to watch, Ya'Ke Smith has made a name for himself as a filmmaker with a voracious style of storytelling that takes an unflinching look at issues facing today's society. In his most recent short film, KATRINA'S SON, a young boy loses his grandmother and only caregiver during Hurricane Katrina and travels to San Antonio in search of the mother who abandoned him years earlier.

"Ya'Ke's measured and intelligent direction is complemented nicely by Yuta Yamaguchi's vivid, eye-catching cinematography. But neither would have the desired effect without a star to carry the film. Luckily, Herman Whitney, III, who plays the intrepid Ed is a revelation...His perfectly understated performance carries real weight and his more vulnerable moments feel completely natural. This kid is a real find." --The Moving Arts Film Journal

Awards (partial list): Best Short Narrative, Austin Film Festival; Preston E. Smith Award, Flatland Film Festival; Black Reel Award for Best Indie Short, Foundation for the Advancement of African-Americans in Film; Audience Choice Award, DC Shorts Film Festival; Audience Choice Award, Texas Black Film Festival

Screenings (partial list): Cannes Film Festival (Short Film Corner), San Antonio Film Festival, Dallas International Film Festival, Hollywood Shorts Film Festival, Kansas City FilmFest, New York International Latino Film Festival