On Sunday August 26th, _Tootie's Last Suit_ premiered in New Orleans at the Treme Community Center, honoring the late Big Chief Allison 'Tootie' Montana of the Yellow Pocahontas.
Longtime neighborhood activist and Treme Center director Jerome Smith introduced the film. (audio: 8:17)
The evening began with a second line, led by the Black Men of Labor and the Treme Brass Band, who paraded from the late Big Chief Allison 'Tootie' Montana's home on N. Villere street to the Treme Community center. After the second line, a crowd gathered to watch Tootie's Last Suit for its New Orleans premiere.
Neighborhood activist and community center director Jerome Smith began the event with an impassioned speech on the importance of New Orleans' black culture, heritage, and the children who have been disconnected from their homes and heritage after Hurricane Katrina.
Later, the film's director Lisa Katzman welcomed Tootie's wife, Joyce Montana, other Montana family members and Mardi Gras Indians to the film, and thanked a long list of contributors and supporters.
