‘Cajun Navy’ Coming to Discovery Channel
As the 2018 Hurricane season is underway, Discovery has put into production a feature-length documentary spotlighting everyday civilians who risk their lives to help others survive devastating storms. From production company Lightbox’s multi award-winning team of Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn, and Suzanne Lavery, and directed by award-winning filmmaker James Newton, CAJUN NAVY follows a group of men and women who, when everyone else flees deadly storms and floodwaters, run towards it and do the work of saving their community and its people from utter destruction.
Photo courtesy of Discovery Channel
“These are stories of neighbors helping neighbors, of people relying on each other, of communities overcoming devastating obstacles together.” says Nancy Daniels, Chief Brand Officer, Discovery & Factual. “We are really excited to shine a light on the Cajun Navy’s inspiring work for our audience.”
Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn, co-Founders of Lightbox and Executive Producers of CAJUN NAVY, add: “The Cajun Navy was born, spontaneously, out of one of the most devastating natural disasters in living memory in America – and the fact that it has endured and continues to rescue people every hurricane season is a testament to the need it fills in American life. This feature documentary will be a snapshot into a fascinating and little understood group of people in the deep South who are driven to risk life and limb to help their neighbors, regardless of religion, race or creed. We are very excited to be collaborating with Discovery to bring their stories into audiences’ homes.”
The group formed in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina. Hailing from all walks of life including fishermen, lawyers, pastors, and housewives, this group of boat enthusiasts—later known as the Cajun Navy—realized that their government wasn’t going to act in time and mobilized out of a desire to help their fellow citizens. Even as armed police and FEMA officials ordered them to turn back, or face being arrested and even shot, they refused to give up. With unprecedented access to various groups operating in the area under the Cajun Navy banner, CAJUN NAVY will chronicle the amazing, spontaneous grass-roots rescue efforts from a movement that started during Hurricane Katrina and lives on today.
CAJUN NAVY is produced by Lightbox for Discovery Channel. The Executive Producers are Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn and Suzanne Lavery for Lightbox, with James Newton as Director and Laura Warner as Producer. Jon Bardin and Andrew O’Connell are Executive Producers for Discovery.
