Documentary Film Program

🎥

All smiles on the final day of DOC II as we close out the spring semester. 😊

We’ve truly enjoyed working with this talented, hardworking cohort. What an amazing first year together!

Wishing everyone a fantastic summer!

#wfudocfilm

🎤🌎

Looking to update your podcast playlist? INSIGHT UNPACKED has released SEASON 3: CAN WE STILL BUILD A GREEN ECONOMY? — a project DFP student Andrew Meriwether contributed to as a writer and producer.

This new season of INSIGHT UNPACKED explores the business of climate change through insights from faculty at the Kellogg School of Management, asking why progress remains so difficult despite growing awareness and investment.

The big question: Do we still have what it takes to build a greener economy?

🎧 Episodes are now available at KellogInsight, Apple, or Spotify.

@newmadwriterhere

#wfudocfilm

🎥

What a great night celebrating Wake Forest filmmakers at Wake Screens! 🎬✨

Congratulations to DFP students Ryan Broussard, Andrew Meriwether, and Pun Pun Pattrakulchai on their Graduate Division wins.👏

Ryan and Andrew took home the Jury Award for AN ETERNAL SOUND, while Pun Pun won the Spotlight Award for ONE DAY, TWO WORLDS.

Congratulations as well to the Undergraduate Division winners and to all of the talented storytellers selected to screen their work.

Thank you to the Communication Department for hosting, and to professors Cagney Gentry and Alex Klein for organizing such an incredible event celebrating student films.

@ryancbroussard
@newmadwriterhere
@cagneygentry
@alexavrilklein
@wakecomm

#wakescreens #wfudocfilm #wakecomm #wakethearts #wfugradschool

🎬

Still thinking about the quietly powerful, poetic, and cinematic storytelling in OTHER HOUSES, co-directed by our current COM colleague S. Cagney Gentry and former colleague Thom Southerland, which screened at the RiverRun International Film Festival this past Friday.

What a beautiful, lingering film!

OTHER HOUSES offers a melancholic yet humorous meditation on what it means to be an artist in America, told through the life of immigrant Radka Winslow. Over a life-changing summer, she stands at a crossroads: continue chasing the American Dream , or let it go—selling her home and returning to Bulgaria, where a more affordable a creative life may be possible.

Shoutout to Katerina Stoykova for her captivating performance. It was also great hearing from Lanie Wedding and Holly Swenson about their roles in the post-screening Q&A.

If you missed the in-person screening, we highly suggest screening it virtually! OTHER HOUSES is available to stream April 27–May 3 at: https://riverrunfilm.com/events/otherhouses/

@cagneygentry
@serffilms
@katerinastoykova
@lainey_wedding
@wakecomm
@wakethearts
@riverrunfilm

#wfudocfim

🎥

We’re proud to partner with the Southern Documentary Fund to sponsor BEHIND THE LENS: BIPOC VOICES IN DOCUMENTARY FILM 🎬

Join us at RiverRun International Film Festival for a powerful panel exploring what it takes to build a sustainable career as a BIPOC documentary filmmaker in the American South.

✨ From funding and relationship-building to marketing and distribution, this conversation offers real-world insights grounded in lived experience.
✨ Discover how community engagement and regional storytelling shape creative and professional paths.
✨ Hear candid journeys from filmmakers working across the South.

Featuring filmmakers Resita Cox, Rodrigo Dorfman, Rahi Hasan, and Saleem Reshamwala and moderator Southern Documentary Fund Artistic Director Christopher Everett.

Panelist Resita Cox--an Emmy-winning filmmaker whose work highlights the resilience, environmental justice, and untold histories of Southern Black communities--will also be presented with a 2026 Emerging Master of Cinema Award.👏

📍 Hanesbrands Theatre
🗓 Saturday, April 25
⏰ 4:00 PM
🎟 FREE

@spellerstreetchris
@southerndocfund
@riverrunfilm

#wfudocfilm #southerndocfund #riverrunfilmfestival

🎬🎤🎥

We’re so excited for Saturday’s Pitchfest competition at the Riverrun International Film Festival!

Join us in cheering on 2nd year MFA students Emily Allgair and Xiaoya “Wilsury” Wei as they pitch their thesis films at the 15th Annual Student Pitch Fest.🙌

Pitch Fest brings together student filmmakers from colleges and universities across the Southeast to present original film projects to a panel of industry professionals for feedback and evaluation. Cash awards of $1,000 for First Place and $500 for Second Place will be presented to the top pitches.

The competition also features students from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the University of Mississippi.

Don’t miss it!

📍 STUDENT PITCHFEST
🕛 12:00 PM | 🎟 FREE | Hanesbrands Theatre
📅 Saturday, April 25

@emilyallgair
@wilsury_
@riverrunfilm

#wfudocfilm #wakethearts #wfugrad #riverrunfilmfestival

🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬

All thesis films defended!

From Post-its to final cuts—what a journey!

Congratulations to all!

#wfudocfilm #wakethearts

Meet the DFP RiverRun Jurors! 🎬

2nd-year MFA students Kenan Reed and Emily Allgair lent their expertise to this year’s festival by serving as jurors—Kenan on Documentary Features and Emily on Documentary Shorts.

Not an easy task with this year’s standout slate of documentaries!

@kenanonfilm
@emilyallgair
@riverrunfilm

#wfudocfilm #wakethearts #riverrunfilmfestival

Congratulations to Leo Geneser on successfully defending his MFA thesis film, INSIDE THE BOX!

INSIDE THE BOX follows Bruce, Brandon, and Liam - three players at different stages of life - as they compete in the inaugural season of the Naperville Bobcats box lacrosse team.

Formed to tap into the Midwest’s overlooked lacrosse talent, the team is working to establish a foundation for long-term success. As the Bobcats navigate the challenges of building a new program from the ground up, the film also steps beyond the box, exploring the players’ lives and identities.

We are looking forward to screening the film during our upcoming graduation thesis showcase! 📽🎓🎉

#wfudocfilm #wfugrad #dfpalum

Congratulations to Naz Sayari Marcum on successfully defending her MFA thesis film, WALTZ OF LIFE! 👏

What happens when some of the brightest minds of their generation gather not to reminisce, but to debate? WALTZ OF LIFE is an unexpected portrait of aging, resilience, and the power of intellectual pursuit.

Inside the walls of Salemtowne Retirement Community, what begins as a humble effort to keep their debate club alive transforms into an extraordinary intergenerational experiment when Wake Forest University debate professors and their students step in as mentors and collaborators, bridging decades through mentorship, laughter, and shared discovery. Together, these relentless minds face off against their equally spirited peers at Abbotswood Retirement Community in a historic tournament that sparks the creation of a National Retirement Debate League.

We are looking forward to screening the film during our upcoming graduation thesis showcase! 📽🎓🎉

@nazsayarimarcum

#wfudocfilm #wfugrad #dfpalum

Congratulations to Avery Dew on successfully defending her MA thesis film, HEART OF GOLD.👏

HEART OF GOLD is a short documentary about Olympic swimmer Kathleen Baker, sharing the journey that led to her success in the pool and the life she`s built in the years since. The film dives into the grit, setbacks, and defining moments behind her rise, while also turning the lens on how she navigates life beyond retirement. She`s grown beyond the pool, redefined her identity outside of competition, and found meaning in the quieter chapters that follow greatness.

We are looking forward to screening the film during our upcoming graduation thesis showcase! 📽🎓🎉

@averydew
@kathleenbaker2

#wfudocfilm #wfugrad #dfpalum

It was an honor to host a pre-screening reception for the inaugural LIMITLESS screening block at the RiverRun International Film Festival and a post-screening Q&A for the anchor film BACK ON TRACK, directed by Peter Tkac (MA ’25).

LIMITLESS: Stories Without Restraint showcases films made by, starring, and centered on people with both visible and non-visible disabilities. BACK ON TRACK follows three members of the Triad Trackers Wheelchair Basketball Team through their 2025 season, highlighting both the competition and the personal journeys of the players.

Thank you to Triad Trackers team members Chris Rivera, Tamirat Ives-Rublee, and Bri Solomon, as well as director Peter Tkac, for joining the conversation, and to DFP Professor of Practice Peter Gilbert for moderating such a thoughtful Q&A.

A special thank you to RiverRun Executive Director Michal Morin and Development Director Tiffany Jones and the entire RiverRun team for their support in making this event possible.

@tictkac10
@pmgilbs
@foodnart
@ivesrublee
@riverrunfilm
@dgkoproductions
@trixiemayj

#wfudocfilm #triadtrackers #riverrunfilmfestival

A great Saturday night at the Coal Pit with the DFP community celebrating our alums screening at Riverrun—Elizabeth Miller-Derstine, Peter Tcak and Rodney Wilds!

One of the best parts of the @riverrunfilm festival is the chance to gather, reconnect, and celebrate together with new and longtime filmmaker friends, students, and faculty.

@legitabeth
@rwilds_4
@tictcak10
@andrewhbrown
@cagneygentry
@willthwaites
@incendiarybrew

#wfudocfilm #riverrunfilmfestival #winston

Our first step-and-repeat moments of the week at Riverrun International Film Festival!

DFP attendees Chris Zaluski, Andrew Meriwether, and Ryan Broussard, along with Riverrun Executive Director Michael Morin, paused for a photo before heading into TIME AND WATER directed by Sara Dosa @unadosa. A perfect opening night documentary—visually stunning, poetic, and deeply thought-provoking.

What a fantastic kickoff to the @riverrunfilm Festival! 🎬

@chriszaluski
@newmadwriterhere
@ryancbroussard
@dgkoproductions

#riverrunfilmfestival #wfudocfilm

Congratulations to Sheridan Coats @sheri_1124 on successfully defending her MFA thesis film, STEPPIN` DOWN THE LINE. 👏

Growing up in a family steeped in the traditions of Black Greek life, stepping has always been a part of her world.

STEPPIN` DOWN THE LINE explores the power of expanded family bonds through sisterhood, brotherhood, and legacy. As family members Tim Jones, Janice Coats-Hardy, and Arnold Coats share their stories, each offering a different perspective on what stepping has meant to them, the film becomes a reflection on memory, tradition, and the generational impact of Black Greek life.

We are looking forward to screening the film during our upcoming graduation thesis showcase! 📽🎓🎉

#wfudocfilm #wfugrad #dfpalum

A double celebration today! 🎉

Christine Dudley @chrelidud successfully defended her MFA thesis film HEAVY METAL, HOLY MACHINE — on her birthday!👏

HEAVY METAL, HOLY MACHINE follows the personal and professional journey of fabricator Britt Clark — a heavily tattooed, college-educated, truck-driving woman who hails from a rural South Carolina town, where Baptist churches stand tall and farmland stretches for miles. By working on both production pieces and custom — often commissioned — sculptures at Cricket Forge, a North Carolina metal shop, Britt has become a highly skilled craftsperson. While finishing up the fabrication of a piece for a newly renovated fire station in Virginia, she reckons with her identity as an artist and her religious upbringing. One she can reconcile with. The other is more challenging.

Through Britt`s lens, the film offers a commentary on the trades, the art world, and the academic system, while challenging us to think not of the gender identity of the person doing the work, but how incredible and interesting that work is, period.

We are looking forward to screening the film during our upcoming graduation thesis showcase! 📽🎓🎉

Happy Birthday, Christine! 🎂

#wfudocfilm #wfugrad #dfpalum

Congratulations to Kai McNeil @thekaimac (MFA ’25) on successfully defending his MFA thesis film, IN MEMORY OF HER.👏

After losing her mother to an overdose, Nola, a young Black Gen Z student, turns grief into purpose, embarking on a journey to understand her mother`s life through the world of harm reduction. Told through the lens of family members who share in that loss, the film weaves together memory, vulnerability, and hard-won honesty. Blending intimate observational footage, honest interviews, and childhood archival footage that gives us a glimpse of what Nola`s world looked like before she knew loss could reshape it, In Memory of Her asks what it costs us when we decide whose suffering is worthy of care.

We are looking forward to screening the film during our upcoming graduation thesis showcase! 📽🎓🎉

#wfudocfilm #wfugrad #dfpalum

We’re thrilled to welcome back Elizabeth Miller-Derstine @legitabeth (MFA ’23) to Winston-Salem! 🎬

Her film ONCE UPON A WETLAND will be screening this Sunday at the RiverRun International Film Festival.

As restrictions tighten across the country, Durham, NC prepares for the annual Beaver Queen Pageant—a campy, un-beaver-lievable celebration of LGBTQIA+ activism, environmental conservation, and outrageous critter cosplay. 🦫✨🌈

📍 Presented as part of @riverrunfilm`s North Carolina Shorts Program 1 – Documentaries
🕓 4:00 PM
📍 Reynolds Place Theatre

Come out and support!