DESIRE International Documentary Competition

Full of humanity and heart, DESIRE is o profoundly moving documentary directed by Julie Gustafson and The Teenage Girls Documentary Project. A group of young women were given a camera to document their lives, and the result is an incredibly honest and moving film, where the girls are not merely defined by their actions but by their desires.

Nearly a decade in the making, the film documents the challenges and desires of a group of young women in New Orleans. As this diverse group – two teenagers from the Desire housing projects, a single mother from the working-class suburb of Belle Chase across the river, and two girls from the most prestigious private high school in New Orleans-makes short films about their own desires, this provocative film records the intimate dramas of their changing lives.

With keen assurance, Julie Gustafson and The Teenage Girls Documentary Project chart the young women’s journeys with impeccable storytelling and cinematic flair. Their stories and transformations transcend even their wildest preconceptions.

All proceeds from these screenings to benefit the New Orleans Film Festival, canceled due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.