Beginning this Friday and continuing every evening for a week, the Prytania Theatre will screen the award-winning documentary Big Charity: The Death of America’s Oldest Hospital.

The film details the history and controversial post-Katrina closing of Charity Hospital, which was founded in 1736 and remained an integral part of the city until its closing in 2005.

The hospital provided free healthcare to the poor and uninsured and was the birthplace of many of the city’s most important musicians, including Dr. John, Kermit Ruffins, Guitar Lightnin’ Lee, and Dale Blade.

It was also where James Booker died, Robert Parker worked as an orderly, and countless other established members of the community had ties.

The documentary was director, editor, and producer Alexander John Glustrom’s debut.

“When we began making this film six years ago, we had no idea what to expect,” he said.

To help the fund the project, he and his team launched a successful kickstarter campaign last spring, exceeding their stated goal of $36,000.

The investment definitely paid off.

The film boasted two sold-out screenings at this year’s New Orleans Film Festival, followed by two sold out encore performances in November. It won both the Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Best Louisiana Feature.

The Prytania will run the screenings from December 5th through December 11th at 5:30 p.m., with each showing followed by a question and answer session with the filmmakers, long-time Charity employees, and healthcare experts.

Tickets are available at ThePrytania.com. They cost $11.50 for adults and $9.50 for children and seniors.