Students and faculty from the summer 2017 Documentary Video Institute, just after their public screening.
The 2017 Documentary Video Institute brought 24 students from around the country for an immersive, weeklong training in video documentary. Led by six instructors, students worked in groups of four to produce short documentaries centered on the Hayti neighborhood, a historically African-American community near downtown Durham. The topics were pre-produced by CDS intern Autavius Smith, and students chose from a list of potential interview subjects.
In a packed six-day schedule, in the classroom and out in the neighborhood, students learned technical skills, such as lighting, sound, and shooting; practical considerations, like interviewing technique and story structure; and video editing and post-production techniques. On Saturday, July 1, they showed their films at a public screening at the Full Frame Theater at the American Tobacco Campus. You can watch them below.
1202 | Sara Colm and Dipankar Mazumder
The house that Deborah Owens Parker and her mother, Sarah Owens, have lived in for generations is a keystone of their changing neighborhood, and a living album of their family’s memories.
Aya Shabu: Mother, Dancer, Writer | Siobhan Chachere and Alec Himwich
The multitalented writer/dancer/performer/historian Aya Shabu discusses her development as an artist and her Africanist approach to dance.
Bull City Laced | Hunter Atkins and Samantha Norman
For Jacques King and Daniel Campbell, Bull City Laced, their sneaker store in the heart of Durham, isn’t just a business; it’s the culmination of a vision.
Bull City Made | Sarah Burdick and Chris Payne
Akili Hester gives high-quality cuts and a love for his customers at his Black Wall Street Barber Shop, named for the proud history of Black-owned businesses in Durham.
Hayti Legacies: Thank God for the Journey | Carolyn Green Boone, Kenneth Campbell, Glenda Clare, Meghan McDowell and Angie Vorhies
A record of a remarkable evening celebrating a distinguished group of African-American women in their 80s, 90s, and 100s, who led local institutions and helped create Hayti and Durham as we know them today.
Hear Me | Jaime González and Helen Smith
Attorney and PhD-candidate Danielle Purefoy talks about her work in environmental justice, where she devotes her energies to ensuring that disadvantaged communities aren’t abused by industry and government.
Jus10 | Ziad Munson and Abhi Sivadas
Justin Ellis, who goes by the name “Jus10,” creates stunning works of mixed-media art while dealing with ADHD and depression.
Nzinga Rising | Christina Biddle and Andrew Haas
North Carolina Central University graduate Zuri Hester opened a popular restaurant near campus, Nzinga’s, which she also uses as a community space to foster positive projects in the neighborhood.
Pops | Christine Hall and Wilson Land
Fred Bennett helped the North Carolina Central University basketball team win a national championship in 1989, and today he imparts to children at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Durham and Orange Counties his love of the game, and of life.
Scratching the Wax | Mary Hughes Lee and Joan Plotnick
Perry Tankard II is a DJ who’s played shows around the world, and whose initial plans for success included leaving Durham—but his Christian faith and the pull of his roots brought him back to a settled gig in his hometown.
Where You From | Ron Berg and Christy Duggan
John C. “Skeepie” Scarborough III, proprietor of two venerable black-owned Durham institutions—a nursery school and a mortuary—expresses his pride in the Hayti neighborhood and the city of Durham, which has an illustrious history of African-American entrepreneurship and community.
