Ithaca College

7th Art Corporation and the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival are pleased to announce an appearance by famed comedian and actor,  Harry Shearer, at Cinemapolis Theater, Ithaca, New York, Friday, September 23rd, 7 pm. Mr. Shearer will appear with his recent film, The Big Uneasy, which New York Times critic, Daniel Gold, has described as “an indispensable part of any history of New Orleans before, during and after Katrina.”

In this feature-length documentary, humorist and New Orleans resident Harry Shearer gets the inside story of a disaster that could have been prevented from the people who were there. Shearer speaks to the tireless investigators and experts who poked through the muck as the water receded, and uncovers a courageous whistle-blower from the Army Corps of Engineers.

His dogged pursuit of facts reveals that some of the same flawed methods responsible for levee failure during Hurricane Katrina are being used to rebuild the system expected to protect the "new" New Orleans from future peril.

Mr. Shearer’s appearance marks the kick-off event for FLEFF for the new academic year.  It continues the close collaboration between FLEFF and 7th Art that has been crucial to the Festival’s success. The Big Uneasy’s Ithaca premier has special relevance,  arriving as it does during a record year for disasters, marked most recently by the devastation of Hurricane Irene. 

Harry Shearer is a comedian, writer, voice artist, musician, author, radio host and director. He is known for his long-running role on The Simpsons, for which has done the voices for no less than ten characters.  His numerous television credits include being a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and appearances in dozens of shows, ranging from ER to Jack and Jill.  Shearer played the role of the band’s bass player, Derek Smalls, in the classic film, This is Spinal Tap, which has been listed 29th in the American Film Institute’s top 100 comedy movies in American cinema.

 He has appeared in twenty-five other films.  Since 1983, Shearer has been host of the NPR comedy/music program Le Show, for which he received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame, radio category. He has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Grammy Awards. 

Tickets are $9.50, $8.00 for Seniors, $8.00 for Students.