Durham, N.C. – Oct 11, 2022 – Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) has been awarded a Spark the Arts grant by the North Carolina Arts Council (NCAC) to engage audiences with documentary media and makers. Spark the Arts is an awareness campaign designed to inspire public participation in the arts across North Carolina by highlighting the unique way the arts lift spirits, bring people together, and heal. Recognizing that the people of North Carolina are the spark that keeps the arts alive, well, and thriving, our goal is to ignite the resurgence of our state’s arts sector from the pandemic by connecting residents and visitors to arts experiences and arts stories across our state.
Through SDF’s programs and services, we have supported and continue to support audience engagement with Documentary media and makers across North Carolina. SDF leverages the power of documentary to encourage dialog surrounding Southern identity and perspectives. In the last few weeks, SDF presented ANGEL OF ALABAMA as the Opening Night Film of Beyond: The Cary Film Festival with NC based filmmaker and director Elijah Yetter-Bowman in attendance for a post screening discussion. In their first live show since the pandemic began, Audio Under the Stars returned with a unique, immersive, and shared experience that brought diverse individuals together for an evening of documentary storytelling in a charming, garden-party atmosphere at The Plant in Pittsboro, NC.
Upcoming Spark the Arts programming includes:
Audio Under the Stars- HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL: STORIES OF TAKING CARE IN TOUGH TIMES
October 14, 2022, 6pm- 8pm, Durham Central Park, 501 Foster Street, Durham, NC 27701
Shares stories on healing and connection, exploring what it means to be well, how we find community, what we do to get by when times are tough, and reflecting on how we’ve gotten this far through the pandemic.
Picnics and well-behaved dogs on leash are welcome. There are many local businesses in downtown Durham where you can enjoy food and drinks before or after the show.
Learn more here: https://fb.me/e/1ODauErmS
SDF Presents: OUTTA THE MUCK
October 25, 2022, 7pm – 9pm, The Carolina Theater, 309 W Morgan St, Durham, NC, 27701
Family, football and history come to life in an intimate portrait of the Dean family, longtime residents of the historic town of Pahokee, Florida. We take a journey back home, with filmmaker Ira McKinley, to the land of sugarcane, as he reconnects with his niece Bridget and nephew Alvin and explores their shared family history that spans seven generations. Told through stories that transcend space and time, Outta The Muck presents a community, and a family, that resists despair with love, remaining fiercely self-determined, while forging its own unique narrative of Black achievement.
Doors will open at 6:30pm, film will start at 7:00pm. There will be a post-film discussion with Bhawin Suchak (co-director), Ira Mckinley (co-director), and Philip J. Merrill (African American Heritage Historian & Consultant) immediately following the screening.
Get tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/427502640907
MAMA BEARS @ Cucalorus Film Festival
November 19, 2022, 1:15pm, Ruth & Bucky Stein Studio Theatre at Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St., Wilmington, NC 28401
Sara Cunningham and Kimberly Shappley are two mama bears — conservative, Christian mothers whose profound love for their LGBTQ+ children has turned them into fierce advocates for the entire queer community. Tammi Terrell Morris is a young African American lesbian whose struggle for self-acceptance exemplifies why the mama bears are so important. Mama Bears explores the journeys of these women who have allowed nearly every aspect of their lives to be reshaped by love. Although they may have grown up as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians, mama bears are willing to risk losing friends, family, and faith communities to keep their children safe. Shot in a poetic, deeply intimate style, Daresha Kyi’s touching doc explores the complex intersections of politics, religion, faith, and unconditional love.
Director Daresha Kyi will be in attendance for an extended discussion following the screening.
Get tickets here: https://www.thalianhall.org/cff22-mama-bears
This project was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
