Sizzlin’ on the Southern Circuit

Most movie theaters in towns surrounding
Clemson, SC show only the major Hollywood flicks, full
hot lead actresses, 3D explosions, and big-name directors: all this
“entertainment” for nearly fifteen bucks. However, one Creative
Inquiry, in collaboration with South Arts, has assisted in bringing
independent films and documentaries to the campus, and it only
costs a walk to McKissick Theatre.
The Southern Circuit is a regional film tour, the only one of its
kind in the Southeast. Although it was founded almost 40 years
ago, it found its new institutional home about five years ago –
right here in Tiger Town. Amy Monaghan, a faculty member
in the English Department, has been spearheading the project
with a group of dedicated undergraduate students ever since. By
integrating Southern Circuit with the Creative Inquiry program,
students are afforded unique opportunities to organize events and
document the history of the project.
Filmmakers from around the country (and the world) compete
for a spot to tour on the Circuit, ranging from Alabama to
Tennessee. Because Clemson University is one of the prestigious
venues in South Carolina, Monaghan and students invite directors of the films to Clemson, where they engage in lively discussions on the process of cinematography, planning a documentary,
or directing a film. After the students host the directors, the
directors then attend a showing of their movie on campus, where
everyone is invited to view the film. As the Creative Inquiry
students lead a discussion, attendees have the opportunity to pose
questions to the directors about the movie. In this way, people of
the Clemson community are exposed to more diverse forms of
cinematography, and are also encouraged to learn more about the
directors’ process.
Many of the films are documentaries, such as NY Export: Opus
Jazz, produced by Ellen Bar, a former professional ballet dancer.
Shown at Clemson in February 2012, it captures a modern take
on 1950s choreographer Jerome Robbins’s “ballet in sneakers.”
Other films that have passed through include director Anne
Makepeace’s We Still Live Here, a documentary about the revival
of the Wampanoag American Indian language.
The students in this Creative Inquiry do more than host filmmakers – they capture oral histories. Learning interview skills from
Sam Adams, a professional film writer who has worked for The
Onion and L.A. Times, they interview the directors and filmmakers who pass through the circuit. Currently, the students are deciding how to best preserve the history they are recording, which
most likely will be through designing an interactive website.
Students have also traveled to other film festivals, such as the
Strange Beauty Festival held in Durham, North Carolina. There,
they were able to talk one-on-one with the organizers, as well
as programmers from the Full Frame Documentary Festival, the
largest film festival in North America. Monaghan believes that
the Southern Circuit provides a unique opportunity for students,
as well as members of the community. In other big-city film
festivals, the chances of undergraduate students meeting with
filmmakers would be as slim as their 35 mm film reel. Clemson
students “access film professionals in a way that they never would
have, had it not been for the Southern Circuit… Pushing us out
into the world that way, it’s kind of amazing,” Monaghan stated.
Clemson’s collaboration with the Southern Circuit continues to
provide unique, thought-provoking films to people who regularly
do not have exposure to these forms of entertainment. This
service, organized by Monaghan and other students, is free to the
community, so all can access these films and the directors. It has
helped broaden Clemson education and will continue to draw
filmmakers from far away.
Next time you’re looking to catch a movie at your nearest
cinemas, think about checking out these independent films in
McKissick Theatre instead! n
Learn more about the Southern Circuit Film Series:
southerncircuit.blogspot.com