Cross-Cultural Documentary Filmmaking

Home Journalism and Mass Communications Department Student Work Cross-Cultural Documentary Filmmaking

Journalism and Mass Communications Department

Majors, minors and non-majors work in teams during spring term to research, shoot, write, voice and edit 10-minute documentaries on people in a hidden or lesser known culture in Rockbridge County.

2023

Celts in Rockbridge

The names are everywhere: McCampbell, Wallace, Crawford, McClung. And so are the Presbyterian churches. They’re reminders of the Rockbridge area’s Scots and Irish past, but there are newer generations of immigrants who have arrived in the Lexington area, too. This film connects the past to the present and tries to answer why this region is so attractive to people with Celtic heritage.

Ukraine and Lexington

Ukraine is seven time zones, thousands of miles and a world apart from Lexington, Virginia. Yet, Lexington has learned a great deal about Ukraine and especially, Ukrainians, since some families caught in the war in their home country came to Lexington for refuge from the fighting. They’re overcoming language and culture differences, but they’ve had plenty of help and support, including from Ukrainians who settled in Lexington years ago.

2021

Unveiling the Overshadowed

The word “Hispanic” covers many cultures and countries and a surprising number are represented in Lexington and Rockbridge County. The population percentage is small but it has grown significantly in two decades with new residents praising the area’s opportunities, along with its natural beauty and tranquility.

Uncovering Connections

A forgotten part of the Rockbridge area’s past has been hiding in plain sight in Brownsburg. Museum leaders there are working to preserve and study the old slave quarters still standing in that village. But more than that, the descendants of the people who used to live in those small dwellings and the descendants of those who owned human beings in the valley are uncovering the connections of the past.

International Students at VMI

Moving from high school to the regimented life of a military college is always an adjustment, but imagine that transition when English is not your first language. This film profiles two students, each from a different country, but both planning military careers. It’s Virginia Military Institute from a decidedly international perspective.

Bodhi: A Lexington Awakening

Even the leader of the local Buddhist community in Rockbridge acknowledges that Bodhi Path is not well known even a few miles from its peaceful, pastoral setting. This film takes you there, into a meditation session and to the place where sacred objects are on display. Along the way, we learn more about the faith and how this branch landed in rural western Virginia.

2018

From South Pacific to South Virginia

Southern Virginia University has been attracting Polynesian students for the past few years. Thanks in part to the university’s new football coach, that population-particularly those from the island nation of Tonga-continues to grow.

Generational Roots

This film, subtitled “A Story of the American Dream,” explores how that dream manifests itself in the second generation of an immigrant family-one that plays a significant role in the Lexington hospitality industry.

Home Away from Home

VMI Keydets marching on the Parade Ground

Virginia Military Institute attracts students from around the nation-and the world. The documentary focuses on a student from Thailand who shares what it’s like to adjust to a rural American culture while learning as much as he can for his career in the Royal Thai Army.

A Long Way from Home

This documentary digs into the ethnic roots of Rockbridge County, which one author described as the most “distinctively Scotch-Irish county in America.” The film examines how the county’s non-English settlers affected the culture, religion and education of this region.

Thai on Main Street

The owner of NaPa Thai saw an untapped market for fresh East Asian food when she chose to open her restaurant in Lexington two years ago. She faces a challenging labor market while helping her family adapt to a new home.

Journalism and Mass Communications Department

Department Info

P: 540-458-8432

Department of Journalism and Mass Communications
Reid Hall
Washington and Lee University
204 West Washington St.
Lexington, Virginia 24450

Mark Coddington

Department Head

P: 540-458-8430
E: coddingtonm@wlu.edu

Robin Grivetti

Administrative Assistant

P: 540-458-8432
E: rlgrivetti@wlu.edu