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:
A Home to Award-Winning Student Work
Diverse in both content and style, our award-winning student thesis films offer powerful stories on the human experiences at the center of a wide range of social and cultural issues. Experience the depth, breadth, and creativity of our student films by watching the clip below and reading more here.
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.
Interested in Learning More?
If you are interested in learning more about the program, please enter your name and email address and we will reach out soon.
Latest News
- Gilbert Named Arledge Award Recipient
DFP Professor of Practice Peter Gilbert and Steve James, two of the creative forces behind the seminal 1994 sports documentary Hoop Dreams, have been named […] - Sidelines Screens at National Sports Media Association Awards Weekend
Jacob Hancock-HernΓ‘ndez (MFA ’23) recently screened his thesis filmΒ SidelinesΒ at the National Sports Media Association’s annual Awards Weekend.Β Β SidelinesΒ tells the story of modern-day high school sports media […] - DFP Alums Premiere Projects at Tribeca
Congratulations to Diane Hodson (MFA β15) and Jasmine Luoma (MFA β15) on their Tribeca Film Festival premieres! Luoma served as producer on An Update on […] - A Double Win at Longleaf for Bloom!
Kudos to Allison Rieff (MFA ’23)Β and Elizabeth Miller-Derstine (MFA ’23)Β for winning Best Documentary Feature at this year’sΒ Longleaf Film Festival with their thesis film Bloom, […]
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What a great kick off screening for this seasonβs Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! A big thank you to @southerncircuit and @aperturecinema cinema for bringing the imaginative and captivating film βThis World is Not My Ownβ to Winston-Salem! It was a fantastic double feature event for DFP students who attended the Wednesday evening screening at a/perture cinema and spent the following morning in conversation with Director Petter Ringbom in the Doc Storytelling I class. β£
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Thank you @petterringbom for generously sharing valuable insight into your journey with this film and the all the ways in which you, and your co-director Marquise Stillwell, sought to honor the creative spirit of Nellie Mae Rowe and the unique friendship she shared with Judith Alexander. β£
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We are looking forward to the next Southern Circuit film! π₯β¨β£
Great to have the students back at Brookstown! A new cohort of DFP first year students and returning second year students gathered for a post orientation lunch to kick off the first week of classes. We are excited to get the fall semester going! #wfudocfilm, #wfugrad, @wfuniversity @wakethearts @brookstowninn
Repost from @bloomdocfilm, the MFA thesis film from @avrieff and @legitabeth ... Congrats on your continued success!
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Weβre excited to announce a free screening of Bloom, sponsored by the March of Dimes, an amazing organization committed to improving the health of moms and babies.
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Date: September 12
π Location: UNC Family Medicine
π Cost: Free!
Join us for this impactful event, and be part of a meaningful conversation on maternal health. Donβt miss out!
π Registration link: dot.cards/bloomdoc
The school year is almost here! The @gradschool_wfu held a student orientation on Wednesday at The Barn in @reynoldavillage. It was the first time many incoming DFP students got to meet each other in person.
We officially get started on Monday! π₯ ππ
The @cucalorus Film Foundation is currently accepting applications for the 2024 Filmed in NC Fund!
The Filmed in NC Fund supports the production of indie film and video projects by artists who are permanent residents of North Carolina, including full-time students.
The program encourages all to apply and prioritizes funding for female filmmakers, filmmakers of color, and LGBTQ+ identifying filmmakers.
The submission deadline is October 23, 2024, and more details can be found at cucalorus.org.
Congrats to Ryan Simmons (MFA `24) on successfully defending his thesis film! @ryanlogan37
His film - "Reel Conversations" - is a deeply personal exploration of Ryan`s journey to
understand his own experiences with mental illness. The film confronts the devastating impact of
losing loved ones to suicide,
underscoring the often-hidden struggles many face.
Great work, Ryan! The DFP is proud to call you in an alum!
Congrats to Rodney Wilds (MFA `23)! @rwilds_4
His new documentary - "We Are, Because We Were" - was selected to screen at the International Black Theater Festival`s Film Fest. The film will screen on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 12:15pm and Saturday, Aug. 3 at 9:45am. All of the screenings will happen at @aperturecinema in downtown Winston-Salem.
Come out and support this great film!
Congrats to Brandi Hall (MA `22) on her new job as Social Media Associate with @underarmour!
Hall interned with Under Armour after graduating from our program, and she is returning now in a full-time role.
Congrats!
Professor of Practice Peter Gilbert and Jacob Hancock-HernΓ‘ndez (MFA `23) recently screened films at the annual National Sports Media Association Convention. @nsmasportsmedia
Jacob screened his thesis film "Sidelines" which tells the story of modern-day high school sports media within the greater context of a collapsing newspaper industry. Gilbert screened his film "Hoop Dreams" and participated in a post-screening Q&A with film participant Arthur Agee. @mr.hoopdreams
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#docfilmmaking #docfilmprogram #documentary #videoproduction #documentaryfilm #documentaryfeature #docfilm #wakeforest #indiefilmmaking #nc #camelcity #mywsnc #myws #wsnc #filmlife #indiefilmmaker #filmmakinglife #filmmakersworld #film #independentfilm #filmschool #videoproduction #moviemaking #filmprogram
Congrats to Ed Foster (MFAβ 20) and Chen Zheng (MFA β23) for having their films accepted into the upcoming Full Bloom Film Festival! @fullbloomfilmfest
Fosterβs film βOn Their First Triβ and Zhengβs film @your_cadenza_doc were accepted into the festival, which takes place fro Sept. 5-7.
Now in its 9th year, Full Bloom is dedicated to bringing quality, diverse, cinema to Statesville, NC.
For more information, visit fullbloomfilmfestival.org
Congrats to Brent Kirkland (MFA β21) on his recent Emmy award! @bkdocs
Brent Kirkland is part of the team atΒ @gamecocksplusΒ who won a Southeast Emmy for their work on the documentary film βSmall Town, Big Dreams: Darius Rushβs Life Calling.β
Check it out on GamecocksPlus.com. Congrats, Brent!
Submissions are currently open for the third-annual Boone Docs Film Festival! π₯ πΏ π¬
@boonedocsfilmfest is held each year in February in Boone, NC, and the festival focuses on short documentaries about the Appalachian Region.
The DFP has had award winners in each of the first two years of the festival! (Bridget Fitzgerald (MFA `21) and Sidney Beeman (MFA `22)). @bridgetmaryfitzgerald @sidneybeemanfilm
To submit your film, visit: filmfreeway.com/BooneDocs
Another great @southerndocfund Artist Convening! π₯ πΏ π€
It was great hearing from regional filmmakers and connecting with talented storytellers. The Convening is a yearly gathering of documentary professionals, and it`s always an inspiring event.
Pictured above is Winston-Salem filmmaker Michael Lippert, Louie Poore (MFA `25), Phillip Marsh (MFA `25), and WFU professor Chris Zaluski.
@lcpoore @lippertfilms rockersprintshopgso @chriszaluski
In honor of Pride Month, check out a special screening of the award-winning documentary "Paris Is Burning" π³οΈβπ π₯
Mark your calendars for Friday, June 18 at 7:30PM at the Camel City Playhouse. The screening is sponsored by OUT At The Movies, Winston`s LGBTQ+ film festival (and the second-largest LGBTQ+ film festival in North Carolina!).
Visit outatthemovies.org for tickets!
A huge congrats to Allison Rieff (MFA `23) @avrieff and Elizabeth Miller-Derstine (MFA `23) @legitabeth for winning Best Documentary Feature at this year`s @longleaffilmfestival for their thesis film "Bloom" @bloomdocfilm π π π
They also won an additional award for Best Film Poster.
Congratulations and nice work!
Congratulations to our graduates Yijia Zhong (MFA `24), Sydney Johnson (MA/MFA `24), and Jason Baum (MFA `24)! π π π₯
The DFP had our annual graduation screening on Friday night in Brookstown and then the Graduate School Hooding and Commencement Ceremony on Saturday afternoon. Some students who graduated in 2023 came back to attend the official ceremony β Zaria Davis (MA `23), Taylor Rogers (MFA `23), and Jinglin Zeng (MFA `23).
Thanks to everyone who attended Friday`s screening or the ceremony on Saturday. It was a great weekend and we`re so happy for our grads!
(And shoutout to Sheridan Coats (MFA `25) for the amazing dry erase board artwork π)
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#docfilmmaking #docfilmprogram #documentary #videoproduction #documentaryfilm #documentaryfeature #docfilm #wakeforest #indiefilmmaking #nc #camelcity #mywsnc #myws #wsnc #filmlife #indiefilmmaker #filmmakinglife #filmmakersworld #film #independentfilm #filmschool #videoproduction #moviemaking #filmprogram
Congratulations to Sam Smartt (MFA β13) on the streaming release of his film βLuminousβ!
Check it out now on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube, and Hoopla (free with yout library card)! π«β¨
Congrats to alumnus Rodney Wilds (MFA `23) on the premiere of his film "We Are, Because We Were." @rwilds_4
The film tells the story of the Winston-Salem African American Archive and offers a glimpse into the ever-growing branches of African American history in Winston.
The documentary screened on Friday evening at the Center for Design Innovation, in partnership with @southartsorg and @uncsa
Congrats, Rodney!
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#docfilmmaking #docfilmprogram #documentary #videoproduction #documentaryfilm #documentaryfeature #docfilm #wakeforest #indiefilmmaking #nc #camelcity #mywsnc #myws #wsnc #filmlife #indiefilmmaker #filmmakinglife #filmmakersworld #film #independentfilm #filmschool #videoproduction #moviemaking #filmprogram
`Tis the season... for end-of-semester screenings! πππ
Thanks to everyone who came out yesterday to watch final films in our Digital Storytelling and Social Justice class. The class was co-instructed by artist-in-residence Rebekah Fergusson @rebajonesjr and was comprised of undergraduate and DFP students.
Thank you, again, to the Provostβs Office and @WaketheArts for their support to make residency possible! We`re so proud of what our students created!
#WFUdocfilm @wfuniversity
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, check out this short documentary by Parker Beverly (MFA `25) on @wakefootball kicker Matthew Dennis.
Great work, @parkerbev23 !!
#Repost @demondeacons
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May is a time to celebrate strength, support each other, and let people know they are not alone.
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Episode 1 ft. Matthew Dennis
#GoDeacsπ© | #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth
