American University’s COMM-725 filmmakers wig out after screenings of their spectacular short docs: (L-R) Rachel Rood, Alexia Campbell, Adjunct Prof. Sam Meddis, Kenya Downs, Kelly Chase, Jacqueline Ho, Henry Kerali, Kristina Brooks, Julia Broemmel, Yiyi Yang, Natalie Plumb. (Photo by Erica Ginsberg)
Six weeks of intensive filmmaking came to an exuberant close on June 27 with a screening of AU graduate students’ capstone video projects—short docs spanning a wide range of subjects, from gay pride and America’s obsession with guns to immigration struggles and a beloved grandfather’s WWII remembrances. What all the films had in common is that they aimed for the heart.
Attending the screening was Erica Ginsberg, executive director of the Silver Springs-based Docs In Progress. During a discussion about the area’s indie-doc scene, she described the burgeoning opportunities for D.C. area filmmakers and encouraged the students to take advantage of them. Applauding the students’ works, she advised them to foster their professional development by becoming active in documentary support groups and participating in film festivals.
The students’ films:
- An American Struggle, by Kelly Chase
- DC2BOSTON, by Jacqueline Ho
- Elusive Bounty, by Alexia Campbell
- Food Truck Final, by Rachel Rood
- “Fou” Fighter, by Natalie Plumb
- Guns Save Lives, by Henry Kerali
- Homelessness, by Yiyi Yang
- Legally Illegal, by Kenya Downs
- Proud in the Capital, by Julia Broemmel
- Taking Shelter, by Kristina Brooks
- Tide at the Door, by Ashley Abraham