UNC students show changing perspectives of the South with self-made documentaries

On Feb. 26, the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will bring Southern folklore to the big screen — or more appropriately, to the big dome. 

“Docs in the Dome: Tales of the American South” is an event hosted by the Morehead Planetarium showcasing 10 documentaries about the South produced by students in the UNC School Media and Journalism.

Jay Heinz, the director of creative and experiential design at the Morehead Planetarium, said the goal of the documentaries is to give a different perspective on the South. Heinz said the documentaries focus on a wide range of topics and ideas, each unique to the Southern experience, from an up-and-coming hip-hop artist, to a man trying to change the legal system that imprisoned him, to disaster relief on the coast.

Senior Erin Ansbro said she heard about the event from a friend who works at the Planetarium. 

"It's not just one documentary, it's 10 little documentaries, so I thought that was interesting," Ansbro said. 

Ansbro said she wants to learn more about the everyday lives of people in the South, rather than the traditional portrayal of the South. 

Sophomore Nicholas Batman said he heard about this event from a close friend who was a producer of one of the documentaries being shown. Batman said he wants to learn more about the uniquely Southern stories he doesn’t normally hear about. 

"I feel like in Chapel Hill, the sort of idea of a Southern narrative is one that people have forgotten or don’t really have an exposure to," Batman said. "It feels like we are kind of in a bubble here."

Batman said these narratives are important for understanding those we are living close to. 

Senior Alex Kormann, former DTH photo editor, was one of the students who produced a documentary for this event. Kormann’s documentary, entitled “Yarbrough & Mojo Child,” tells the story of two blues musicians in Alabama, each with different understandings of their role in the revival of blues and in preserving the history of blues music. Kormann said he wants this event to offer viewers a deeper understanding of what the South truly is in all its many aspects.

“We only did 10 stories, which only scratches the surface on what the South is about,” Kormann said. “Being a part of this really helped me further understand all the ins and outs of what it means to be a Southerner and what it means to live in the American South. I want people to walk away with this idea of, not necessarily pride in the South, but just better understanding of where they come from and of the intricacies of this great part of the country.” 

Kormann said that from his own documentary, he wants viewers to walk away with a better understanding of what blues music truly is and how it reflects the history of the South itself.

“People hear the blues and they immediately think of, ‘Oh 1920’s, muddy waters, sitting on the porch, playing a banjo,’ and that’s just not what it is,” Kormann said. “It has evolved, it is being done by so many young artists, it’s still alive and well and I want people to understand what the blues means to the people of the South.”

Kormann said one unifying message he received from his interviews with blues musicians is that the story of the South is reflected in the evolution of the blues.

“The blues tells the story of the pain and the failures of the South,” Kormann said. “It has had a dark, dark past and the blues tell that story, and also now tells the story of the South trying to reconcile itself from those dark demons.” 

arts@dailytarheel.com