elondocs showcase to premiere student documentary projects

On Tuesday, April 30, elondocs will screen 13 audio, video and photo documentaries produced by students in the program. The showcase begins at 6 p.m. in Turner Theatre.

By Nicole Hawley ’21

elondocs will hold a documentary shorts showcase, featuring the work of more than 20 Elon students, on Tuesday, April 30. The screening begins at 6 p.m. and is followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers.

elondocs is a yearlong program for students interested in documentary production. The group is led by Associate Professor Nicole Triche and welcomes a cohort of roughly 10 students each year. Members are selected through an application and interview process.

In the fall, elondocs students work in groups to produce short audio, video and photo documentaries. They also participate in various workshops that are tailored to their group interests. In the spring, each student focuses on the production of one larger documentary project.

“It’s so great to see a student say, ‘I want to make a documentary about this,’” Triche said. “I get to watch them make it happen. They leave the program with four complete projects.”

While most of the students in the program are cinema and television arts majors, students of any discipline are welcome to apply to join elondocs.

“We have journalism students, we have art students,” Triche said. “I want more students to make documentaries.”

The April 30 showcase will feature projects from both this year and last year. Audience members will witness stories about a wide range of topics, from a senior beauty pageant to a North Carolina family living in a yurt.

Triche enjoys the variety of stories told through elondocs, and she feels that the program provides students with crucial skills they can carry with them in future endeavors.

“Students aren’t just getting better at their craft,” Triche said. “They’re getting better at storytelling.”