Digital Documentaries-Long Form

The following page highlights a variety of the documentary films which have been created by students in the JO&MC Department at SMC.  Each film was produced, directed, shot, and edited by students as part of the documentary film senior seminar. 

Flea Diaries  (Directed by Nicole Manchisi)   Flea Diaries takes an in-depth look at the people,  the "products" and the personalities that  make up a New York City Flea Market. The film gives a behind-the-scenes look at the vendors, buyers, and hoarders who make flea markets happen.  Awarded Jury Prize at the Vermont International Film Festival 2005.
Surviving Evolution: Vermont Higher Education  (Directed by Nathan Formalarie & Mike O'Brien)  This film examines the pressures facing the 25 colleges and universities in Vermont, from challenges in admissions and marketing to remaining competitive with other educational institutions nation-wide.
Culture Shock: International Students in the United States  (Directed by Stefan Botchev) This film looks at the challenges international students face in attending colleges and universities in the U.S.  With interviews of students from Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, the film explores a wide range of demands and difficulties foreign students face on a daily basis as they adjust to college life outside their home countries.
The Chiapas Project: Helping Heal a Village in Southern Mexico (Directed by Anna Fitzgibbons)  This film chronicles the people and mission of the Chiapas Project, a U.S.-based non-profit organization whose volunteers provide medical and dental care to the Zoque Indian tribe living in the Chiapas region of southern Mexico. 
Laugh At Me: Stand Up Comedy by Trial and Error   (Directed by James Whitman and Katie Mazurek)  Laugh at Me  takes an inside look at what it takes to survive a life in stand-up comedy.  Using interviews with some of the Boston area's up-and-coming comics, the film asks the basic question:  What are they thinking?
Brewed in Vermont: A Short History of Beer, Community, and the Art of Craft-Brewing in the Green Mountains (Directed by Scott McLuskey, Matt DeLuca, and Mark Byron)  Brewed in Vermont explores the history of micro-brewing, brew pubs, and the connection between community and beer in the Green Mountains.  Includes interviews with the founders of Magic Hat, Otter Creek, Switchback, Long Trail, and the Vermont Pub and Brewery, and  provides a behind-the-scenes look at the lives and philosophies of the brew masters behind the ales, lagers, and stouts. 
YogaPOP! The Americanization of Yoga (Directed by Abigail Corse and Erin Britt) YogaPOP explores the growing popularization of the practice of yoga in the United States.  At the heart of this film is a basic question:  Has yoga become over-hyped and over-commercialized?  Is it simply the latest fad amidst a host of self-help and  fashion-laden health trends?  In looking at such questions, YogaPOP explores some of the benefits and limitations of introducing an ancient spiritual practice of the East into a Western culture which is fixated on speed, efficiency, and the rationalization of life. 
TransGenderation  (Directed by Jessica Rotkiewicz and Cate Lecuyer)  TransGenderation looks at the lives of people who have transcended traditional gender lines.  The film looks at the physical, emotional, and mental hurdles associated with becoming transgender in contemporary culture as well as at an array of social stigmas attached to our notions of what it means to be "transgender."
The Critical Ingredient:  A Search for Humanity and Self  (Directed by Luke Whyte) The Critical Ingredient chronicles one man's hitchhiking journey down the East Coast of the United States in search of answers to basic questions:  What do we owe humanity?  What do we owe ourselves? 
Stowe Being: The Evolution of a Mountain Village  (Directed by Patrick Herlihy and Ryan Deveaux)  Stowe Being examines the political, social, economic, and environmental issues surrounding the evolution of a small New England mountain town into an East Coast skiing resort destination.  Who are the players?  What's at stake?  What are the benefits and costs associated with tourism and recreational development?
Leave Me Alone:  Bullying and Abuse in Our Public Schools  (Directed by Keely Ames & Eliza Delaney)  Leave Me Alone tackles one of the most pervasive but unacknowledged problems in our schools today:  abuse through bullying. The film focuses on three public schools to find out what's really going on in our schools' hallways, as well as on Instant Messenger.  The film includes the story of one student who took his own life after being bullied by classmates. 
Homelessness: A Will to Succeed   (Directed by Maria Fontanazza and Liz Trudeau)  By focusing on one homeless man's story and journey, this film takes a pointed look at what it means to be homeless, and how easy it is to get there.