Local stories bring the rich culture and heritage of the Northern Nevada region to life. This fall, students in Kari Barber’s documentary filmmaking class at the University of Nevada, Reynolds School of Journalism in Reno discovered some of those stories.
On Thursday, December 9, the class will present the Documentary Film Festival 2021, with four short documentaries. The event, which begins at 6 p.m., will be held in person at the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center Wells Fargo Auditorium and on Zoom. It is free and open to the public, and those interested can register to participate on Eventbrite.
Students worked in small teams for 15 weeks to plan, script, film, edit and present each short documentary – a process that can take professional filmmakers years. The films tell a variety of unique stories that represent local businesses, events and culture.
“Piconland” is the story of the quest for the traditional Basque drink of Nevada. “The Playa” explores the history and future of northern Nevada’s famous Burning Man festival. “Import Empire” is about a local business owner and his quest to bring international anime culture to Reno. “El Alma de México” highlights the rich and vibrant choreography and artwork of a local immigrant director.
“Northern Nevada has so many exciting and unique stories,” said Barber, associate professor of electronic media at Reynolds School. “I love the ideas the students came up with this year; I think they really show how special our region is.
Interested persons can find out more and register on the site 2021 Student Documentary Film Festival website.