Beginning Wednesday, rookie and veteran documentarians will descend on Durham as the Eleventh Annual Documentary Happening swings into gear at the Center for Documentary Studies.
The Happening is a weekend long event meant to bring together documentary artists. It features presentations, lectures, discussions and classes.
One does not, however, have to be an accomplished documentarian to enjoy the events. All sessions are open to the entire community, and Duke students are encouraged to attend.
"The Documentary Center tries to do a lot of different things with different communities," said Bria Dolnick, a former Documentary Studies certificate student and administrator for The Happening. "They work with undergraduates, adults and artists-which are very different audiences."
The Happening fosters important interaction between these separate audiences, who might not otherwise interact, and allows them to learn from each other.
"As a budding documentary filmmaker, it was very inspirational," said Brett Ingram, who attended the very first Documentary Happening and whose film will be screened at this year's event. "There were people who had been making films for 20 years and people who were working on their first one. It was a very low-pressure, low-key, supportive environment."
Though the events are open to the public, there is a selection process for the works that are shown throughout the event.
Networks of photography, video and audio artists spread notices calling for submissions throughout North Carolina. From those entries, a committee narrowed down the field and a group of practicing documetarians selected the finalists. Attendees will benefit not only from viewing the winning documentaries but also by learning why the experienced documentarians chose them.
Learning is an important theme, as this year marks the beginning of the Happenings Institute, a two-day add-on to the usual events. Though there are no prerequisites, these classes are intended for those who have a base level of knowledge.
"The Center had been looking for a while for a way to give classes to people who have taken some basic classes and are looking for something specialized," Dolnick said. "This is a good way to start thinking about that."
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