The School of Communication and Design screened a documentary lost since Hurricane Katrina showcasing the life and artistry of the late Allison “Tootie” Montana, who led the Yellow Pocahontas Black Masking Indians as its big chief for 50 years.
Students in Will Horton’s Documentary Filmmaking course hosted the free event, which was open to the public, in December in Nunemaker Auditorium. A panel discussion with the filmmakers and those who knew Montana followed.
Horton directed the documentary “Testimony of a Big Chief” as a young filmmaker. It was screened as part of an exhibit about Montana in 1997 at the New Orleans Museum of Art. However, Horton said the film’s producers feared the original footage was lost forever due to the flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The public had not seen the documentary in 25 years. It wasn’t until the producers, Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick, stumbled upon a DVD of the completed film in 2022 and had it digitally remastered. Horton said he created a learning opportunity by integrating the film into his documentary class.
The students took the lead in planning the event and introducing the 30-minute documentary. They then moderated a Q&A session with panelists, including Calhoun and McCormick; Willie Birch, a longtime friend of Tootie’s who is interviewed in the film; and Darryl Montana, Tootie’s son and successor, following in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps.
During the spring semester, the students recorded and archived the panel discussion, and then studied the film and those firsthand accounts during the class to sharpen their skill set as filmmakers, Horton said.
