by Cory Woodroof | Oct 6, 2014 | News Slider
To co-curator Ted Parks, Lipscomb’s documentary screening series HumanDocs means far more than an earned chapel credit. Now, students who attend an installment of the series, typically nestled in a time-friendly slot on a Wednesday night, do earn a credit, but like most chapel opportunities, the impact goes far beyond the met requirement. The HumanDocs film screening series aims to teach its attendees about issues facing our world through the art of the documentary, which fits right in with the genesis of the documentary form. “My sense is that documentary has always been a form that has had an alternative distribution to commercial film,” Parks said, “and it’s always, from what I know about it, been used to raise consciousness about issues.” Parks says that at the beginning of the documentary, filmmakers were more able to pursue the issues and topics that they were passionate about because of the leniency of not working within the confines of commercial requirements. “Documentary filmmakers are not in it to make a buck,” Parks said. “They’re in it because they want to tell a story that they think will impact the world, and I really like that part of documentary film in contrast with commercial filmmaking.” Parks, an associate professor, said that HumanDocs was born out of his Hispanic Cinema class. He would have students volunteer at the Nashville Film Festival as part of the course, which got Parks wondering if Lipscomb could forge a more formal bond with the festival. “I wanted to try to develop a closer relationship between Lipscomb and the Nashville Film Festival, so talking to my colleague and...
by Carter Sanderson | Feb 24, 2014 | News Slider
HumanDocs is set to continue its spring lineup this Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 8:30 p.m., in Shamblin Theatre with a screening of the documentary Inequality for All. This film is a non-partisan take on the extremely wide and growing income gap from Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor under former President Bill Clinton, and it’s negative impact on our country’s economy. Emily Wilson, an English major who helps organize HumanDocs, had this to say about the film. “The film is eye-opening, accessible and very informative about what is going on with the American economy,” Wilson said. “It gives suggestions on how to personally take steps to try to make a change.” A panel discussion will follow the film. The screening is free and open to the public and is also an opportunity for a chapel credit. Photo courtesy of...
by Carter Sanderson | Jan 21, 2014 | News Slider
HumanDocs returns Wednesday night to begin their spring slate with the PBS Point-of-View film Homegoings. The screening will take place in 8:30 p.m. in Ward Hall. As Black History Month is just around the corner, Homegoings focuses on Isaiah Owens, a funeral director in Harlem, and his experiences through his work in the community. Ted Parks, a Spanish professor and curator of the HumanDocs program, speaks on behalf of the challenging questions that will be covered on Wednesday night. “How do we integrate the end of life into life itself in a culture that prefers not to talk about death?” Parks said would be something to consider. “Can a person’s passing really be a time of celebration as well as mourning?” Following the film, there will be a panel for a brief discussion including people such as Joy Samuels, Jackie Conwell, Greg Rumburg and Donnetta Hawkins. “Our panel includes social workers and psychologists who have not only worked professionally with grieving people, but have experienced loss themselves,” Parks said. “I think Wednesday night will not only be a chance to see an engaging documentary, but to think about who we are, the hope we have and the preciousness of life.” HumanDocs will host another film in February, tentatively selecting Inequality for All, a close look at the growing income gap in the United States. It is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 8:30 p.m., in Shamblin Theatre. Both screening are free and open to the public. Photo courtesy of...
