The New York City-based documentary editor was recognized prior to a Nov. 9 screening of “Food Chains,” a 2014 film she edited that highlights agricultural labor in the United States.
Already an accomplished documentary editor, with several critically acclaimed projects on her resume, Erin Barnett ’09 added another accolade this week – this one from her alma mater.
Barnett, who majored in broadcast communications, was presented on Nov. 9 with elondocs’ first Emerging Documentarian Award, recognizing an Elon alumnus/alumna who has graduated in the last decade and is already excelling in the professional documentary field. The award was presented prior to a Turner Theatre screening of her 2014 documentary film “Food Chains,” which casts a spotlight on agricultural labor in the United States.
“Food Chains” is one of several high-profile projects Barnett has worked on since her Elon graduation. Her other professional editing work includes Alex Gibney's “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine,” “(Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies” and, most recently, “Unseen Enemy,” a CNN film about the potential looming crisis of disease pandemics.
“I am very pleased that Erin Barnett is receiving the first elondocs Emerging Documentarian Award,” said Nicole Triche, assistant professor of communications and faculty director of the elondocs production program. “She was an excellent student who has gone on to be an excellent professional and continues to be an excellent alumna.”
Triche said Barnett’s professional success does not come as a surprise, noting the alumna’s strong work ethic as a student, including numerous hours spent in the McEwen editing bays.
During her return to Elon, Barnett shared insight with several communications classes and met with this year’s elondocs cohort. “She was a wonderful resource for our students,” Triche added.
As an undergraduate, Barnett completed two films — “Bridging the Digital Divide,” shot at the first-ever global Internet Governance Forum for Imagining the Internet, and “My Name is Anita,” about Namibian AIDS activist Anita Isaacs for Elon’s Project Pericles.