WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS is a 2006 documentary film directed by Spike Lee in collaboration with HBO about the devastation of New Orleans, Louisiana due to the failure of the levees during Hurricane Katrina. This intimate, heart-rending portrait of New Orleans in the wake of the destruction tells the heartbreaking personal stories of those who endured this harrowing ordeal and survived to tell the tale of misery, despair and triumph.

The film also looks at a community that has been through hell and back, surviving death, devastation and disease at every turn. Yet, somehow, amidst the ruins, the people of New Orleans are finding new hope and strength as the city rises from the ashes, buoyed by their own resilience and a rich cultural legacy.