Documentary Filmmaking Major

Spelman "Docsters" Make Movie Moves

Spelman College's documentary filmmaking major is uniquely designed to address the needs of the 21st-century student born into a digital world where moving images, storytelling and investigating social concerns have significant currency.

Why This? Why Now?

While documentary filmmaking has exploded internationally over the last twenty years, it is rare that one sees women of African descent at the helm in this field. Through its documentary film program, Spelman will develop a new, and urgently needed, generation of Black women documentary filmmakers who see the world through their histories and interests.

The major is an outgrowth of the Digital Moving Image Salon (DMIS), which was founded in 2003 by award-winning filmmaker Ayoka Chenzira, Ph.D. DMIS taught students to analyze films and use digital media tools to produce documentary films that focus on the lived experiences of women of color, the filmmaking program merged traditional documentary film strategies with emerging approaches to create new forms of storytelling; and it also explores new exhibition and distribution possibilities.