Atlanta Arts category interest

Emory’s slate of six documentaries is hand-selected to encourage moral and ethical discussion among public viewers, filmmakers and students.

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The first film in Emory University’s Ethics at the Movies Film Series, Bulls and Saints, was seven years in the making, building organically after producer Peter Eversoll happened upon North Carolina’s vibrant rodeo scene. The documentary premiered last year as part of PBS’ “POV” programming slate and tells the story of the undocumented Juárez family, who decide to return home after 20 years in the United States. Described by filmmaker Rodrigo Dorfman as a story of “reverse migration,” it chronicles the family members’ difficult journey from North Carolina’s rodeo rings back to their hometown in Mexico.

“We started filming this rodeo family, but, as the story developed, they told us they were planning to go back home. That was their dream,” says Dorfman, who is based in Durham. “I’d always wanted to do a story to follow somebody going back home in terms of migrant stories . . . and as we went deeper into it, we started learning more and integrating Cherán, the place, into the story.”

The Ethics at the Movies Film Series is spearheaded by the Emory Center for Ethics and the Department of Film and Media. This six-documentary series, beginning with Bulls and Saints — rescheduled to October 2 after the tropical weather on its original date — is selected to encourage artistic discourse and moral exploration, and, this season, Emory partnered with Atlanta-based nonprofit South Arts, which organizes the annual Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers.

A slate of 25 independent films is pre-selected by South Arts, then partners choose a handful for public screenings and QandAs. Most of the filmmakers participating in the Circuit Tour are from the South or telling Southern stories, with priority given to BIPOC filmmakers, members of the LGBTQ+ community and early-career filmmakers. South Arts takes care of accommodation and travel expenses as they tour across the region and engage with different communities, from educational hubs like Emory to small-town theaters and arts alliances.

Laura Asherman, director of Emory’s Ethics andamp; the Arts program and a documentary filmmaker herself, says the audience engagement element is what excites her most. Every film will be followed by a talk-back with a member of the film’s creative team and/or one of its participants, allowing audiences to get a deeper experience of subject areas.

“You’re not only seeing a film and getting to go to the movies — you’re actually learning about the filmmaking and learning more about the issues that are brought up in the film,” says Asherman. “Each screening, we’ll also invite either community leaders in that certain subject area or Emory faculty who study or research that area. So, it’ll be a dynamic conversation after the film, and that’s something really special about what we do.”

Dorfman, whose daughter is a student at Emory, is especially excited to screen Bulls and Saints at the university. “The number one audience right now is young people,” he says. “I try to make films with [that age group] in mind as much as possible, especially because now is a time of all these technologies, [which] are making it more difficult to find a way around the world. There’s a lot of information coming at [young people], and I think, for me, it’s all about creating a transmission of knowledge in that sense.”

Another goal of Ethics at the Movies is to incorporate themes from the films into the classroom and explore their issues within course curricula. This semester, especially, promises to be a rewarding experience for students interested in pursuing film professionally, as there will be more opportunities to interact with the creative teams. “If you’re a student, you can meet this friendly, incredible person right after you see their work, and the conversation flows really well,” Asherman says.

While the series is promoted across the Emory campus, it is not only for students and faculty. All screenings are free and open to the public, and Asherman encourages anyone with an interest in film, ethics or social justice and activism to show up. As Emory works to expand its Ethics andamp; the Arts program, Asherman and her colleagues have focused on building recognition among Atlanta arts organizations and boosting local community involvement. Getting the word out about the Ethics Series, she says, is the best way to ensure it continues for many more seasons.

“We can all stream a million different movies at any point of the day, but these are films that you’re probably not going to be able to see everywhere,” Asherman says. “We feel very lucky to be able to use Emory resources to support artists and bring students and artists together with the public.”

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Holyn Thigpen is an arts writer who has been featured in cultural and literary publications such as BUST, The Ringer, The Talon Review and Bright Lights Film Journal. She holds a master’s in English from Trinity College Dublin and spends her free time reading true crime books and traveling solo.