Building Bridges on Screen: Documentary Stories of Place in the South, is a multi-documentary program that uses the unique storytelling power of film to highlight the impactful work of creative placemakers in the South and Appalachian regions and to inspire more creative placemaking efforts in the future.​ Programmed in three distinct parts, each section focus on themes focused on community, social impact and connection through the lens of arts.

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Creating Community

 

This screening brings together three stories of community-based projects, including a cultural center in what was a segregated schoolhouse, a sprawling mural about local history, and a city infrastructure project that goes above and beyond to connect people.

 

“My Ozarks Episode 14: Crockett & Tonya” (2025)

See how Tonya Oaks and Crockett Oaks III have restored the formerly segregated Lincoln School in West Plains, Missouri, as a cultural center that brings the community together to honor local histories.

 

“UNSUNG” (2025)

This short documentary follows the creation of a mural project across 21 pillars at the Pearson Community Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The murals share the stories of historic figures who shaped the Westside neighborhood to be what is it today.

 

“Bridging a Community: The Creative Corridors Coalition Story” (2023)

This film showcases the city infrastructure projects by the Creative Corridors Coalition, a nonprofit whose mission is to create a Green, Artful, and Iconic Network (GAIN) of spaces in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, that bring all communities together.

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Social Sculpture in Memphis

 

The four short documentaries in this screening share stories from Memphis that embody the concept of “social sculpture,” an expanded notion of artistic practice that centers direct action which has the potential to change society and the environment.

 

“Mama’s Sundry” (2024)

In South Memphis, married artists Bertram Williams and Talibah Safiya have created Mama's Sundry, a collaborative movement fostering wellness and sustainability through education, service initiatives and a neighborhood garden that produces fresh fruit and vegetables within a community that's long been designated a food desert.

 

“SLICE” (2024)

Memphis locals discuss and perform “slicing,” the local tradition of sideways pool-diving which emerges as an artistic subculture within the Black community. This communal artform embraces joy and creativity as a form of underground resistance.

 

“Designing CXFFEEBLACK” (2026)

Interior designer Carmeon Hamilton shares her process of designing communal space in the new location of CXFFEEBLACK, a community-oriented coffee company that has created the first all-Black coffee supply chain from Ethiopia to Memphis, Tennessee.

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“VICE News: Black Families in Memphis Are Fighting to Save Their Land From a Pipeline” (2021)

When a new pipeline, the Byhalia Connection, is set to be built above the Memphis aquifer and to snake through historically Black neighborhoods, locals take action by directly advocating for the protection of their land.

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MAP360 and the Montgomery Artist's Exchange

 

Through two short documentaries about public art projects in Montgomery, Alabama, this screening highlights the cultural impact of MAP360’s Visiting Artist Fellowship Exchange program, which brings international artists in to leave a local mark.

 

“Searching for Simorgh” (2025)

In Montgomery, Alabama, a band of local artists join forces with renowned French street art duo, MonkeyBird, to create epic works inspired by the 12th Century poem, The Conference of the Birds. This film documents their process, revealing the importance of art and collaboration.

 

“DNA” (2023)

This short documentary follows Paris-based artist JonOne during his 2023 visit to Montgomery, where he immersed himself in the local community and painted “DNA,” a vibrant mural that harnesses the power of abstraction to promote connection and suggest endless possibility.

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