This film takes a hard look at the importance of a local economy in times of disaster.

Independent America - Rising from Ruins shows a version of post-Katrina New Orleans we haven’t seen yet, taking a hard yet hopeful look at the risks and rewards of small business ownership in the days, months and years since the disaster. It depicts locals coming home to resurrect their businesses and neighborhoods along with both the expected and unexpected challenges they face from all sides - including their own government and big box retailers.