The cinema and television arts major recently won a film contest celebrating the stories of African Americans and the positive impact they have made in Guilford County communities.
The impact of Samantha Katz’s final project for her Documentary & Nonfiction Aesthetics class will stretch far beyond a single letter grade.
During the spring semester, Associate Professor Doug Kass allowed his cinema and television arts class free rein to create a film on any topic – in any documentary style of their choice. At the same time, he also encouraged students to consider entering a local college film contest sponsored by the Greensboro Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. The competition aimed to celebrate the stories of African Americans and how they have made an impact in Guilford County communities.
These prompts led Katz, who graduated in late May, to create a moving seven-minute documentary highlighting Evainna W. Ross, founder of the Black Suit Initiative, a leadership and community engagement nonprofit organization for middle and high school young men. Fittingly, at the completion of their first year, participants receive a black suit. Katz’s short documentary won the film contest, earning the challenge’s $1,000 top prize, and will be shared in Guilford County schools as part of future Black History Month celebrations.
“I’m extremely honored to have been recognized for my work,” said Katz, a native of Hopedale, Massachusetts. “When I initially submitted the project, I was just happy to share something that could be of value to the community at large and support the Black Suit Initiative. To me, this recognition tells me I’m on the right track with my goals post-grad and that I should stick to my passions of highlighting the voices of those who have an invaluable and impactful story to share.”
Kass is effusive in his praise of his former student and her work, noting the depth and quality of Katz’s finished project. He explained that it was an exhaustive process that involved several rounds of revisions and feedback.
“Samantha’s documentary is a mature piece of work that shows the culmination of all the techniques and methods she’s mastered in the cinema and television arts major,” he said. “This is her very last film project at Elon, and it was a winner. Samantha is also a winner, and it’s a great way to go out.”
The Elon professor, an award-winning filmmaker himself, credited Katz for giving herself the time and space to commit to a story that she felt strongly about. And he is pleased that the project will be used in classrooms to inspire young people to become engaged in their communities.
“This is the kind of work we hope our students will do, but it’s often hard to make happen, and happen with such success and quality,” Kass said. “I always tell students that the process of filmmaking is the process of solving problems. There are always challenges and Samantha encountered many, including scheduling, a faulty sound recording, and a difficult deadline. The best filmmakers turn their problems into plusses, and the work gets better in unexpected ways. That’s exactly what happened here.”
According to a contest news release, the videos were judged on storytelling, content, production quality, creativity, technical proficiency, and how well the video reached its target audience. Like Kass, the contest’s judges were equally impressed with Katz’s work.
“This story was captivating from the start,” said Kara Peters, a WXII news anchor who served as a contest judge. “From the shots of community service to the pictures and hearing firsthand from the men who have gone through the Black Suit Initiative, this was well done!”
Coincidently, Katz first learned of the Black Suit Initiative and Ross from Nagatha Tonkins, former internship director for the School of Communications and member of the Greensboro Alumnae chapter. Katz said she felt immediately “connected to Ross’ mission to encourage youth to be the best versions of themselves and overall make a positive difference in the community.”
The recent Elon graduate is especially proud of how the documentary provided her a platform to share the backstory of several Black Suit Initiative graduates.
“Hearing these young men share how the Black Suit Initiative has strengthened their character and prepared them for a world post-high school is so powerful,” she said. “You can also sense the care and compassion Ross has for the young men.”
During the editing and post-production process, Katz worked tirelessly to balance the graduates’ personal anecdotes with the key information about the program. She worked through this challenge with classmates, sharing several rough cuts with fellow students and Kass. Their insights helped pull the project together, she explained.
“I couldn’t have done this project without the help of Professor Kass,” said Katz, recalling the numerous conversations they had in person and via email. “He’s been a great mentor and collaborator on this project through the many phases it has gone through. With his guidance I’ve learned a lot about how to critically look at my work to craft the best final product possible.”
But Kass was quick to deflect credit, instead focusing on Katz and her love of filmmaking. Additionally, he noted that Katz benefitted from working closely with Associate Professor Nicole Triche, where she gained great perspective through the elondocs documentary program and her Advanced Documentary and Nonfiction Production class.
“Samantha is a terrific student of documentary,” Kass said. “She watched closely and analytically the films that were assigned and recommended to her. Above all, she understood the importance of revision and re-editing through multiple drafts. Samantha was very attentive and diligent, and she trusted the process.”
Katz was not the only award recipient in the film contest with an Elon connection. Naomi Washington ’24, a journalism major, received a $300 honorable mention award for her short documentary on Pam McCormick, coordinator for Future Hope Single Parents’ Ministry, a Christian support group for single parents and their children in the Triad.
The Black Suit Initiative
Founded in 2016, the Black Suit Initiative serves more than 60 middle and high school students in Greensboro and its surrounding areas. Applications for the 2024-2025 school year are now open. For inquiries, contact evainna@blacksuit.org or call (336) 549-0146.