Find Your Filmmaking Home
With an established track record of success in documentary film production and education, the Documentary Film Program at Wake Forest University offers you two graduate degree options:
Please join us for a virtual information session on our MA and MFA programs on Thursday, December 8 at 6:00 p.m.
We are currently accepting applications for your 2023 start!
Early Deadline is January 15
A Home to Documentary Film Experts
The Documentary Film Program (DFP) is not only the home to full-time faculty members with decades of industry experience! The DFP is proud to have accomplished visiting filmmakers every semester that offer students education in the latest industry knowledge and trends. Learn more about current and past program visitors.
A Home to Award-Winning Student Work
Our graduate programs in documentary film are hands-on experiences where students learn the technical aspects of filmmaking and storytelling as they craft short films as part of the curriculum. These thesis films have consistently achieved success in film festivals and within the industry. To see the variety of films that have been made at the DFP, please read more here.
Latest News
- DOC NYC Screens MFA Alum Film
Congratulations to Wake Forest Documentary Film Program alum John Gallen (MFA ’17) on the New York City premiere of his short film, Iron Sharpens Iron, […] - DFP MFA Students Receive Filmed in NC Grant
Congratulations to 2nd year MFA students Elizabeth Miller-Derstine and Allison Rieff on landing a Filmed in NC grant! Miller-Derstine and Rieff’s film, Bloom, is one of 13 films selected […] - Award Winning MFA Film to Screen at Wake Washington CenterBrandon Gaesser (MFA ‘21) brings his award-winning film, Chicken Soup for the Soil, to the Wake Washington Center on Tuesday, November 1 at 6:30 p.m. for a […]
- Beeman Selected for Appalshop Film CohortCongratulations to current MFA student Sidney Beeman on her acceptance to the 2022-23 Appalshop Film Cohort! The Film Cohort is made up of a talented group […]
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Congrats to Sidney Beeman (MFA '22), Brandi Hall (MA '22), and Josh Romney (MFA '22) for successfully defending their thesis films last week. 🎉🎉🎉 We look forward to celebrating these students during Saturday's graduation and screening ceremony.
🎞 Sidney's film "Finding Home" follows the journey of a young Burmese immigrant and her family as they search for opportunities to build a new life in rural West Virginia.
🎞 Brandi's film "Pain into Passion" tells the story of loss, hope, and forgiveness in the wake of 19-year-old University of Maryland football player Jordan McNair tragic death from heat stroke.
🎞 Josh's project "Escape from Planet Death!" is a 6-part audio podcast that is a personal journey story about his experience returning to his home in Utah to work on the foley team of a stage production.
These students have put in a ton of hard work over the past few years and we couldn't be prouder of what they've accomplished. Congratulations!
Thank you Kai McNeil (MFA '23) for taking time out of your International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (@idfafestival) Student Route experience to represent the DFP at IDFA Film Academy Day at the Netherlands Film Academy. 📽️ 🎞️ In addition to delivering a brief presentation on the DFP, Kai viewed award-winning films from the IDFA 2022 program, attended extensive masterclasses/workshops, and took advantage of the opportunity to network with film students and professionals from across the globe. Greatly appreciated, Kai!
A big DFP thank you to Rebekah Fergusson for sharing her pathway from athlete to filmmaker with our Sports Media and Storytelling students. Rebekah's journey from her directorial debut, Pelada, to her work on the Academy Award-nominated films Endgame and @CripCampFilm provided students with valuable insight into her creative process, the demands of being a director, producer, and cinematographer and the opportunities available in an ever-evolving industry. An informative session for all! 🌟
These late-night smiles belong to the 2nd year MFA students who spent Wednesday evening sharing thesis film selects and giving each other feedback!
Of course, pizza was also involved. 🍕
#WFUdocfilm
We loved reading the article about Quad Deac Carter Cook in the latest edition of the Wake Forest Jurist —
"Cook tested the program with a documentary film class right up his alley in the spring of 2019: Business of Sports Media. Not only did he love the class, but his conception of how school was supposed to be done was flipped on its head when he realized, "Wait, I’m being assigned readings about topics I would be reading about anyway? That’s like getting paid to eat ice cream.”"
Thank you for your kind words about the Doc Film Program, Carter. We'd love to help you become Wake's first five-time Wake Forest grad! 🎓
Check out the full article starting on page 42 here: https://jurist.law.wfu.edu/files/jurist-2022.pdf
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