Produced by Jared Mayerson ’20 and Jordan Shaw ’20, “Leaving the Nest” tells the story of a North Carolina family that lives in yurts – portable, round tents. The film will be screened this spring on campus at the 2019 elondocs documentary showcase.
By Sophia Ortiz ’21
As their film festival season gears up, Elon students Jared Mayerson ’20 and Jordan Shaw ’20 are excited to share their documentary with audiences both near and far.
The unique living structures are the focus of the students’ new documentary, “Leaving the Nest,” which was produced during Mayerson and Shaw’s yearlong participation in the elondocs documentary program.
“Jordan has always loved yurts and, after stumbling upon Hal and Asia, the two of us jumped at the opportunity to get to know them and tell their story,” said Mayerson, a cinema and televisions arts major.
Once they completed the seven-minute film, Mayerson and Shaw researched “environment and green film festivals” that complemented the theme of their work. The duo also submitted “Leaving the Nest” to general film festivals throughout North Carolina.
As they considered other festivals, the duo also submitted their documentary to several international events, including the Green Screen Environmental Film Festival in Trinidad and Tobago, which selected the student film. It was shown during the four-day festival held Oct. 31-Nov. 3.
Although the film is still on a festival run and not yet available for public viewing, Shaw said she is excited to screen “Leaving the Nest” at the elondocs documentary showcase held during the spring semester.
For Mayerson, the most memorable part of filming was getting to know Hal, Asia and Emilia, and the welcome the family provided them. “They openly shared their story, left us with gifts, and even cooked us a goodbye meal,” he said.