Capturing North Carolina history through short film

WAYNE BEATTY

“Coming Home” director of photography Chase Williams (left) and producer Andrew Coleman on set. Williams is a student at Queens University of Charlotte.

Black history is being captured through a creative lens.

“Coming Home” is a short film that captures the inaugural Princeville Homecoming. The event, held in 2022, was a celebration of the resilience and history of the first town in the nation chartered by Black people. The film was created by students of the Freedom Hill Youth Media Camp, a four-week documentary film program that took place in Princeville.

This program was founded by Resita Cox as part of an impact campaign for her environmental short film, “Freedom Hill.” Cox, who has a background in news media, felt filmmaking was the better option for telling stories.
The idea behind the program was to embed students in a rural community to understand how climate change affects it. One of the students is Chase Williams, who is enrolled at Queens University in Charlotte. Williams was director of photography for “Coming Home.”

“From the start of high school, I started making little short films,” he said. “I really just did them for fun at that point. I would make little promos and sports promos for my friends and what not. Then, my mom found this opportunity for me to be a part of a youth media camp. So, I figured I would give it a shot. I didn’t know what to expect, but it definitely surpassed my expectations. I learned so much and it was really like a whole new world for me.”

Cox said working with Williams is a pleasure to watch him mature as a filmmaker.

“One of the joys of working with young people is being able to watch them grow and turn into the fuller versions of themselves,” Cox said. “Watching [Williams] grow over the years, I feel like I have been watching him grow up in a way. He is always one of those students who is most eager to learn all aspects of filmmaking. When I think about my students who will go on to become a filmmaker, because not all will, but he is one that I just know will become a filmmaker.”

Princeville has endured centuries of storm-related flooding, but it hasn’t stopped its residents from celebrating their rich history. Princeville resident Marquetta Dickens, whose voice can be heard throughout the film, is one of the driving forces behind the annual gathering. Cox profiled Dickens in her short film.

“Marquetta is the main character in ‘Freedom Hill,’” Cox said. “She is also the co-founder of the Princeville homecoming. Another thing she does is she is the co-founder of Freedom Org, … a nonprofit that she started in Princeville. It is a community development corporation that is dedicated to organizing in communities that have been disinvested in. The lower income and lower socioeconomic communities. She was one of the inspirations and pushes behind the (Freedom Hill Youth Media Camp) as well.”

As director of photography for “Coming Home,” Williams said capturing Princeville’s homecoming was special because such stories aren’t often told. Sometimes Black culture and history is pushed aside, and Williams said being a part of the change meant a lot to him.

“I feel like Black culture and the information we need to know is kind of shunned,” he said. “I feel like we should have already had these types of sources to be able to share these stories. It is amazing to get this type of media out there. It is inspiring that this film got picked up (by Black Public Media). It really has me thinking about what other stories of Black culture are going untold. You see stories of police brutality and things like that. I am feeling like it’s about time these stories are told.”

Cox added that it is affirming that her decision to pursue filmmaking was worth seeing such stories getting shared and rural areas get the attention they deserve.

“This is really affirming, not just of my own work,” she said. “But, to also have (Black Public Media) share the work of my students, it is really affirming and showcases the power of storytelling. From my first step of bringing Freedom Hill to life, then creating my impact campaign and now this youth camp. I have students now creating their own films. To be able to showcase this work is a privilege. It is really nice to have this opportunity for us to affirm the students through this premiere on AfroPoP.”

“Coming Home” is streaming on the Black Public Media YouTube channel.

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