Meet Tom Hansell

Welcome Tom Hansell to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! His first screening is Monday, April 11, 2011, at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Get your popcorn ready!

Thomas S. Hansell is a documentary filmmaker and installation artist who lives and works in Appalachia. He teaches Appalachian Studies and Documentary Studies at Appalachian State University and has 20 years of experience at Appalshop. He is the recipient of grants and fellowships from the Kentucky Arts Council, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. This most recent documentary project premiered in 2010 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2010.

Meet Kimberly Reed

Welcome Kimberly Reed to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! Her first screening is Saturday, April 2, 2011, at the Hapeville Historical Society in Hapeville, Georgia. Don’t miss it!

Kimberly Reed is a filmmaker living in New York City. Prodigal Sons is her first feature-length documentary film, and marks her coming out, in more ways than one. Reed is recognized as the first transgender feature filmmaker. She was selected for the Yaddo Artists’ Community and Al Gore’s Current TV Symposium on the Future of Non-Fiction Film. Her work has been featured for six consecutive years at IFP’s Independent Film Week, and she was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s "25 New Faces of Independent Film." She directed/produced Prodigal Sons, which SF Weekly calls a "whiplash doc that heralds an exciting talent." Prodigal Sons has gone on to be shown around the world in theaters, festivals, and on television, garnering more than a dozen Jury and Audience awards, including the FIPRESCI prize. She has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show and CNN, among other media outlets. Reed is a summa cum laude graduate of UC Berkeley and a Montana native.

Meet Brian Ashby and Ben Kolak

Welcome Brian Ashby and Ben Kolak to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! Their first screening is Thursday, March 30, 2011, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.!

Brian Ashby studied Political Science at the University of Chicago, and has conducted research in India and Cambodia. He currently assists photographer Laura Letinsky and works in freelance photography and videography. This is his first film.

Ben Kolak produced the documentary THAX and co-produced Crime Fiction, which screened at the Slamdance, Vail and GenArt Film Festivals. He assists video artist Catherine Sullivan and produces video for clients including Brand New World and Catherine Edelman Gallery

Meet Kristy Andersen

Welcome Kristy Andersen to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! Her first screening is Monday, March 14, 2011, at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee. The film starts at 7:30 p.m., so don’t forget your popcorn!

Kristy Andersen has worked in the broadcast television industry since 1975. In 1989, her interest in Hurston was galvanized and started her on an 18-year journey. At the time, many of Zora Neale Hurston's works were out of print. Through collective efforts with the Library of Congress, she uncovered a cache of 45 minutes of Hurston's film footage. Through research at the Smithsonian Institution, Andersen brought to light field materials titled, Folktales from the Gulf States, the basis for Hurston's book Mules and Men. These materials later became the first major new book by Hurston, entitled Every Tongue Got to Confess, in more than 40 years.

Meet Matt Hinton

Welcome Matt Hinton to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! His first screening is Thursday, March 3, 2011, at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. The show starts at 8:00 p.m.

Matt Hinton and his wife, Erica, are Sacred Harp singers who met while they attended Georgia State University. It was in Erica's documentary film class at Georgia State that the seed for Awake, My Soul was sown. Seven years later, the couple completed the project and in the process got married and had a baby. Matt holds a Master's degree in Theology from Emory University and teaches religion at Morehouse College. Erica operates Sir Chalk and Bunn, a print shop devoted to the art of letterpress printing. Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp is the Hinton's first feature-length documentary.

Meet Ashley Maynor and Paul Harrill

 Welcome Ashley Maynor and Paul Harrill to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! Their first screening is today, March 1, 2011, at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. The show starts at 7:00 p.m., so don’t miss a moment!

Paul Harrill’s narrative films and documentary videos have screened on five continents at film festivals, museums and on television. Harrill’s work has been supported by the Independent Television Service, the Aperture Film Grant, and by residencies at Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

Ashley Maynor is an award-winning documentarian whose films and new media works have been exhibited around the country. Maynor's creative work, outreach and research have been supported by the Southern Humanities Media Fund, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Her most recent documentary, For Memories’ Sake, was awarded the Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2009 University Film and Video Association Competition.

Southern Circuit in the news

Hello Filmmakers and Southern Circuit Tour followers!

I wanted to share this link to a Times-Journal article that was published recently about a Southern Circuit film, Awake My Soul, which will be on tour in March.

"Sacred Harp hits big screen again"

Look out for Matt Hinton's introduction appearing on the blog soon!

Meet Rebecca Schanberg

(Schanberg with Bagnato from her film Do No Harm)

Welcome Rebecca Schanberg to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! She will be joining the tour with her film, Do No Harm, on Saturday, February 19, 2011 at the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, Mississippi. The film will start at 4:00 p.m.

Rebecca Schanberg who received a BA from Stanford University, has worked as director of corporate philanthropy at Polo Ralph Lauren. There she helped to create and run the company’s “Pink Pony Campaign.” She also worked as a team leader and program designer for City Year, a national urban peace corps. Do No Harm is her first directorial project.

Meet Susanne Suffredin

Welcome Susanne Suffredin to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! Her first screening will be Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center in Madison, Georgia. The screening begins at 7:00 p.m., so don’t miss a minute!

Susanne Suffredin has been editing feature and documentary films for 20 years. Working for Kartemquin Films, she served as post-production supervisor of Hoop Dreams and contributing producer and editor for 5 Girls, which aired on the PBS series P.O.V. in 2001. Recent editing credits include the feature films The Rest of Your Life, winner of the audience prize at the Angelciti Film Festival and Prefontaine, produced by Hollywood Pictures. Suffredin was also editor and post-production supervisor for the feature film Sacred Hearts, which screened at the New Directors series at the Lincoln Center. She edited A Doula Story (PBS 2005) for The Kindling Group, and is currently editing The Calling.

Meet Jenny Abel

Welcome Jenny Abel to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! Her first screening will be Tuesday, February 8, 2011, at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Don’t miss this opportunity to view Jenny’s film!

Though Jenny Abel’s first love was music, she graduated with a degree in Video and Television Production from Emerson College in Boston. After graduating she coordinated overseas productions at Nu Image and Millennium Films, where she helped the company produce 26 films. In 2003, she left her job to focus on her first feature documentary, Abel Raises Cain, a project close to her heart.

Meet Alex Karpovsky

Welcome Alex Karpovsky to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! His first screening is Friday, February 4, 2011, at The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, South Carolina. The show starts at 8:00 p.m., so don’t miss a moment!

Alex Karpovsky’s first feature-length film, The Hole Story, earned him a spot on Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film.”  He followed up this accolade with his award winning film Woodpecker. Along with being a talented director and writer, Alex also has acted in several films which premiered at well-known festivals such as Sundance, SXSW, and Cannes. His latest film, Trust Us, This Is All Made Up premiered in 2008, and in the fall Alex will appear as Ray in the HBO series Girls.

Meet Eric Metzgar

Eric Metzgar's first screening will be hosted by Carson-Newman College Monday, November 8, 2010.

Eric Daniel Metzgar is a Brooklyn, New York-based filmmaker. In 2006, he completed his first feature-length documentary film, The Chances of the World Changing, for which Metzgar was nominated for a 2007 Independent Spirit Award. Reporter is Metzgar’s third feature documentary, which he directed, shot, edited and narrated. The filmmaker is also an award-winning cinematographer and has collaborated with several Oscar-nominated directors. He is currently developing new fiction and non-fiction material.

Meet Richard Reininger

Welcome Richard Reininger to Southern Circuit. The Halsey Institute in Charleston, SC will host his first screening Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 8:00PM. Come support this wonderful filmmaker and film!

Richard Reininger has been enraptured with the creation of motion pictures ever since discovering his family’s video camera during his freshman year of high school. Diving into media technology classes and independent studies programs left in him a burning desire to work in pictures. Attending the University of Texas at Austin, he received a Bachelor’s degree in film production. Artois the Goat premiered at SXSW in Narrative Competition, the first of many festivals and honors. Richard currently resides in Austin, Texas.

Meet Cambria Matlow

Welcome Cambria Matlow to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! Her first screening will be held Thursday, November 4, 2010 at the Tupelo Film Commission. The show starts at 6:30 PM. Don't miss it!

Cambria Matlow has directed several short narrative films. She holds a Certificate in Film Production from Burlington College in Vermont and a B.A. in Hispanic Studies from Columbia University. She has driven across the United States six times, lived in Spain and New Zealand, and traveled abroad extensively, including spending time in Morocco, Singapore, Central America and Eastern Europe. Burning in the Sun is Cambria’s documentary feature directorial debut.

Meet Gwendolyn Oxenham

Gwendolyn Oxenham's first screening will be hosted by the Tupelo Film Commission Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 6:30 PM. Gwendolyn is the director of Pelada.

Gwendolyn Oxenham received her M.F.A in Creative Writing from the University of Notre Dame, where she won the Nicholas Sparks Prize. A 2004 graduate of Duke University's programs in English and Documentary Studies, she directed Essence Game and DWS, two short films centered on identity in sports. At sixteen, Oxenham was the youngest Division I athlete in the history of the NCAA. A Duke captain, she made two All-ACC teams. She also played professionally for Santos FC in Brazil in 2005.

Meet Sheila Dvorak

Welcome Sheila Dvorak to the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers! Sheila is the producer of Children of Invention. Her first screening will be hosted by the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 7:00 P.M.

Sheila Dvorak began working in independent film in 2003 when she and Tze Chun joined forces as "The Complications." They produced twelve short films, including Document, which premiered as part of the New Directors-New Films series at Anthology Film Archives, and Windowbreaker, which appeared at Sundance in 2007. Sheila also worked on Sundance NEXT feature "Armless" and the documentary See What I’m Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary. She is currently writing and producing a documentary about the United States Postal Service and working on preparations for her first directorial effort, Artificial Dissemination.

Meet Ryan White

Ryan White's first screening on the Southern Circuit Tour will be hosted by East Carolina University October 7, 2010 at 8:00PM. Ryan is the producer of Pelada.


Ryan White has worked as associate producer for eight-time Emmy winner Sherry Jones. He is a graduate of Duke University's programs in Documentary Studies, Film & Video and Literature. His screen credits include Capitol Crimes, a 90-minute documentary untangling the web of money and corruption surrounding lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and Country Boys, a profile following two boys from rural Kentucky through their high school years.

Meet Tina Mabry

Western Carolina University will host Tina Mabry's first screening of Mississippi Damned on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 7:30 PM. Tina is the writer and director of the film.
Tina Mabry is a native of Tupelo, Mississippi and graduated from the University of Southern California with a M.F.A. in Film Production in 2005. She co-wrote a feature screenplay, Itty Bitty Titty Committee, which won Best Narrative Feature at SXSW in 2007. Tina participated in the FIND Director’s Lab with Mississippi Damned and was awarded the Kodak Film Grant.

Welcome to the 2010-2011 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers!

The fall and spring tours feature eighteen filmmakers and film teams with screenings in twenty-six Southern communities. These extraordinary documentaries and narrative films represent the best of fictional and non-fictional storytelling. Our filmmakers have graciously agreed to share their tour experiences via the Southern Circuit blog. Check it out and/or join us for a screening. The tour schedule is available at www.southarts.org/southerncircuit!