Early summer update

Well, summer in New Orleans is here a bit early this year – temps are soaring into the 90s from late morning to early evening, broken only by the occasional torrential rainstorm. In its infinite wisdom our monopolistic local energy company is intentionally doing rolling blackouts for some reason, leaving tons of people without AC (thankfully it hasn't hit my house yet).

I haven't been up to much this week as I've been recovering from a minor surgery, but I just wanted to let y'all know what I'm planning to make for the channel during the next few months.

• The Theatricality of Evil: Robes and Rituals of the Ku Klux Klan - There is a (disgusting) old source I used for a Confederate monuments video a thousand years ago that is post-Birth of a Nation KKK propaganda that goes into a lot of that stuff. Since watching The Zone of Interest recently I've been thinking a lot about how to demystify evil, especially in regard to the striking and alluring aesthetics used by white supremacists.

• The Declaration of Independence in a 1770s New England Accent - Think I might be ready to break out that Rev War-era accent for real for real.

• Something about New Orleans dueling with Karl from InRange - We had an idea while filming "Guns That Killed Redcoats" that could be fun.

• The Cannibal Slave Ship - Story of the Portuguese schooner Arrogante. One of the most horrifying accounts I've ever read, yet somehow terribly mundane for the transatlantic slave trade.

• A new episode of The Abolitionists - Probably either the Green Scare or Henry David Thoreau. Speaking of environmentalism, I know a lot of people dug that Ted Kaczynski critique idea I floated a while back, that's still percolating.

• Story of Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec shot on location in Maine - In the early stages of planning. Will probably shoot it just shy of the 250th anniversary.

• The Sexual Politics of Frankenstein - A video essay with chapter titles like "The Sexual Violence of Science" and "The Monstrous Phallus." Writes itself.

And as far as what's in the docket going into 2026, I have some pretty big news! The details are best expounded on in an announcement video, but the long and the short is that my team and I have reached a decision about our next feature film. It's going to be a docudrama incorporating both documentary and narrative elements called The Vampires of New Orleans. It's about folklore, race, tourism, and the horrors of the past reverberating down to the present. Expect some updates on that in June! ⚰️

Finally, I just want to express my thanks to you all for your continued support. I've had a number of videos underperform recently, and during those dry times ad revenue just isn't enough to keep the lights on and the gears turning here. I don't say that just to bitch, but rather to express how grateful I am to have a solid base of financial support from y'all, and emphasize how important it is to the continuation of Atun-Shei Films as a viable artistic and educational project.

Hope everybody's having a great Memorial Day weekend and you'll hear from me again very soon.