NEW ORLEANS (Oct. 17, 2024) —“Change doesn’t always indicate progress,” says actor and French Quarter resident Harry Shearer. The multipotentialite who also plays bass guitar and has starred in “The Simpsons,” is a longtime New Orleans resident along with his wife, Judith Owen. The two are just a few of the talking heads featured in acclaimed filmmaker Laura Coyouette’s documentary, “Wasted: Overtourism & The French Quarter,” which will premiere Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. at La Petit Theatre, 616 St. Peter Street.
The documentary explores the way in which “overtourism” overwhelms the city’s historic district and uses the powerful narratives of residents and business owners to illustrate the need for change in a region that fails to put the priorities of residents first.
Four years in the making, “Wasted” shines a light on New Orleans’ fragile balance between residents and visitors in a post-COVID world. Through intimate interviews with French Quarter residents, business owners, and culture bearers, the documentary explores the benefits and harms imposed by unbridled visitor numbers on the historic neighborhood.
Designer and urban planner Amy Stelly, who is featured prominently in the film, observes that the French Quarter works as a mixed use residential space in ways many cities in America could only dream of — despite its foundations being laid 300 years ago.
“We can see the impacts of overtourism in the offerings of local businesses. Not only is it what is actually being sold, like souvenir shops eating up real estate instead of neighborhood serving businesses like grocery stores or personal services. It is also seen in the decline of locally-owned businesses, where the rising rents in the neighborhood often preclude many local start-up entrepreneurs. New Orleans is home to talented and creative people; the Quarter should be available to them too,” says Erin Holmes, co-producer and executive director of Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents and Associates (VCPORA).
Presented in partnership with VCPORA, “Wasted” was recently accepted by the prestigious Big Syn International Film Festival, a sustainability film festival in London which aims to inspire people to act on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Tickets are $15 and available for purchase here.
