Last weekend at Alice Fest, the Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) shared some of their works in progress. It was exciting to see some of work that SDF has helped create. All of them were about such interesting topics. I can’t wait to see the finished films.
Here are the projects — in alphabetical order — that were shared at the festival. All images and descriptions have been pulled straight from the SDF website, so go there fore more information.
Bipolar Girl Rules the World – Dawn K. Dreyer
About 5.7 million Americans cope with bipolar disorder; through compelling personal narratives and the art of animation, Bipolar Girl Rules the World and Other Stories presents a complex, moving, and often funny portrayal of individuals whose lives have been deeply affected by this form of mental illness. Director Dawn Dreyer, an award-winning writer and audio documentarian, brings her personal experience with bipolar disorder to Bipolar Girl Rules the World and Other Stories, along with a passion to present people living with bipolar disorder as distinct and complex individuals–not as a litany of symptoms or as passive victims.
Deep Run Roots – Cynthia Hill
Deep Run Roots is an authentically Southern television series where the audience goes behind the scenes at a highbrow restaurant struggling to make it in one of the most economically depressed regions in the country.
Chef Vivian Howard was making a name for herself in the NYC restaurant world when her father, a hog farmer from Eastern North Carolina made her an offer she couldn’t refuse — to build her very own restaurant. The catch, it would be located in her hometown, a place she swore she’d never return. Six years in, Vivian and her restaurant, Chef and the Farmer, have won numerous accolades (even semifinalist for James Beard award) but the challenges continue. As the TV series opens, Vivian and Ben are juggling the restaurant with raising twins, and a fire has destroyed the restaurant’s kitchen. What happens next is a true testament to what local cooking and eating really mean.
Tenants of the Earth, Part One: Digging Them Up – Martha Daniel
“I am acquainted with a local mortician who has the proper legal credentials to disinter, or dig up the dead for a variety of reasons. He has worked on projects up and down the east coast and is noted for his expertise. Beginning two years ago, he has allowed me to film several projects (with permission from families or attorneys) locating unmarked graves and moving the buried to other locations. It is without a doubt a fascinating subject matter. Thus my interest in doing a documentary on Digger Ward Sutton, and his unusual job, I am currently calling Digging Them Up.
I will be following his work digging up the remains of a family whose history in North Carolina is traced to holders of an original Lord Proprietor’s Land Grant dating from the late 1600s who were early colonists, and interviewing Ward about his work and the relatives of the dead.”
Uncensored – Stephanie Martinez
Uncensored is a documentary that recounts the peril journalists endured while covering Colombia’s narco-terrorism violence in the 1980s and 1990s during the reign of Pablo Escobar’s Medellin cartel. In 1985, Colombia had the highest murder rate in the world and those in power, including government officials, used intimidation tactics, kidnapping and murder to silence the courageous journalists who sought to expose corruption. The film, which was inspired by the director’s experience with Escobar’s corruption, will provide critical insights into the dangers journalists face while reporting from today’s conflict-torn territories such as Mexico, Central America and the Middle East.
The mission of SDF is to help preserve and share stories about the American South by acting as a resource for documentary artists. The organization offers fiscal sponsorship to connect people, ideas, and resources. Their goal is to grow a community of documentary artists.
All of the info in this post is from the SDF website, so go there if you want to learn more. They currently have more than 40 works in progress. You can get a feel for SDF and their goals by watching the SDF promo trailer: