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Last Call for the Bayou

A film series on the changing Louisiana coastline.

By Peak Design

April 14^th, 2020

The Mississippi Delta is the fastest disappearing land on the planet.

It is losing a football field of land every 100 minutes, either through subsidence, traumatic loss via storms, wetland erosion or sea level rise. There are many factors which contribute to the loss, almost all of which are the result of societal decisions. Whether it is the oil and gas extraction, the over engineering of our greatest river, or our total carbon output—Louisiana’s wetlands are the canary in a coal mine for the land loss that will be experienced in coastal communities worldwide.

That's a quote from filmmakers Dominic Gill and Nadia Boctor who, with Peak Design's support, produced a 5-part film series called Last Call For The Bayou. It premiered last week on the Smithsonian Channel.

In the face of a pandemic, there are many things in our lives that we have pushed to the back burner for good and necessary reasons. Our fight against climate change shouldn't be one of those things, and if you're unsure about that assertion, this series might change your mind.

EPISODE 3: MUD, SWEAT & FEARS. New Orleans is sinking. Meet @alexskolker, the @LUMCONscience researcher who's spent the last decade studying how to save the Louisiana coast.

EPISODE 5: THE DUCK QUEEN OF PLAQUIMINES PARISH. Wade into the Louisiana marsh with the best duck hunter in Plaquimines Parish for an intimate look at why the wetlands are vital to the nation.

EPISODE 2: SOUTH AS SOUTH CAN GO. With climate change and economic hardship threatening her tribe's culture, this Houma activist has taken remarkable steps to protect and preserve her community's way of life.

EPISODE 4: SINK OR SWIM. Where will Louisiana’s fishermen go when there aren’t any fish left?

EPISODE 1: ON A WING AND A PRAYER. The Louisiana wetlands are so vast and remote that visualizing the threat of coastal erosion can be nearly impossible. That’s where photographer Ben Depp and his DIY motorized paraglider come in.

EPISODE 1: ON A WING AND A PRAYER. The Louisiana wetlands are so vast and remote that visualizing the threat of coastal erosion can be nearly impossible. That’s where photographer Ben Depp and his DIY motorized paraglider come in.

EPISODE 4: SINK OR SWIM. Where will Louisiana’s fishermen go when there aren’t any fish left?

Last Call for the Bayou shares the stories of a duck hunter, photographer, fisherman, scientist, and Houma activist as they navigate a new norm and protect what's left of the place they love. This particular series is available for free on the Smithsonian Channel. If you like what you see, they're offering up a 2 months of free channel-wide access using the promo code BAYOU.

Peak Design specifically sponsored the episode below, On a Wing and a Prayer. The film follows arial landscape photographer Ben Depp as he chronicles the disappearance of Louisiana wetlands from a 200HP paraglider. Watch below, or view the full series here.

Footnotes

Images courtesy of Encompass Films.

FootNotes

Images courtesy of Encompass Films.

© 2026 Peak Design

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