Review by: Richard Propes, The Independent Critic

Weeding by Example

Producers: Kathleen Ledet, Sarah McKnight, Jen Suran

Directors: Kathleen Ledet, Sarah McKnight

Editor: Jen Suran

Running Time: 13 Mins.

Starring: Scott Discon, Ian Dryer, John Hopper, Kristina Kobila, Lisa Laraway, Jack McShane, Rick Weidenhaft

3.5 out of 4 Stars

A retreat for New Orleanians since 1854, New Orleans' City Park sustained over $40 million worth of damage and lost 90% of its employees following Hurricane Katrina. Less than 12 months after Katrina's devastation of New Orleans, the "Mow-Rons," a group of determined residents who experienced significant losses themselves, set out to save their park and their city... one weed at a time.

As directed by Kathleen Ledet and Sarah McKnight, "Weeding by Example" is a stellar example of short documentary filmmaking because the two filmmaker's wisely avoid the temptation to moralize or politicize this 13-minute documentary about the powerful impact one small group of people has had on the healing of a wounded city and its beloved park. Instead, Ledet and McKnight have fashioned a film that focuses almost exclusively on the personalities that comprise the "Mow-Rons," a diverse group of New Orleanians united by the mission to save City Park.

Ledet, a native New Orleanian and recent University of New Orleans graduate, and McKnight, a University of New Orleans film student nearing completion of her M.A., trust their fellow New Orleanians enough to let their stories unfold and in the course of a mere 13 minutes it becomes impossible to not be captivated by the spirit of hope, community and belief that permeates the "Mow-Rons" and "Weeding by Example."

Beautifully photographed on an estimated $500 budget, "Weeding by Example" has played in at least 10 film festivals already and picked up jury awards in the Anchorage International Film Festival and the Magic Lantern International Movie Festival.