SF DocFest 2024: Guardians of the Flame & like a stone or flower

Filmmaker in attendance

Undeterred by decades of prejudice, post-Katrina neglect, and ongoing appropriation of their traditions, three generations of the extraordinary, multi-talented Harrison family guard their legacy and define what Black masking culture means in New Orleans today.

Initiated and filmed by the celebrated Oscar winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme, the film was shot over the course of 15 years documenting the artistry and activism of three generations of the Harrison family of New Orleans. In the course of this African American family’s fight to recover not just from Hurricane Katrina but from a history of cultural suppression, we meet the matriarch Herreast Harrison, whose dream is to found a museum dedicated to her husband’s legacy. Along the way we are also introduced to her four talented children: a renowned saxophonist, a master beader in the closely-guarded Mardi Gras tradition, a performance artist and educator, and a singer and manager of Herreast’s grandson’s musical career. In the decades-long struggle towards survival and healing, we’re given an intimate view of the family’s determination to educate and preserve culture – from a social and pleasure club parade to a brass band commemoration, culminating in the spectacular Mardi Gras unveiling of the Guardians of the Flame.

Plays with the short: like a stone or flower

Three artists of different generations reflect on the ability of art to transcend rationality and logic. Directed by Kaiya Ming Jordan, 10 minutes.