Students to premiere Paris documentaries on Sept. 30

Members of the MTSU Paris documentary team are (left to right): Kelly Rozell, Bing Li, Kelsey Price, Amber Bradford and Samantha Hearn .

Eleven MTSU students traveled to France in May to create documentaries about artists who live and work in Paris. Their films will premiere at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m.

Led by Documentary Channel founder Tom Neff, the program resulted in three short films centered around up-and-coming fashion designers and musicians. The films were directed, produced and edited entirely by the students – a mix of film, electronic media communication and journalism majors. The films are Fighter, A Designer’s Canvas and Le Debut.

Fighter is about an Afro-French singer named Jara Ezo. Her first big solo, “Dangerous Fighter,” packs a powerful beat, a touch of scat and a huge dose of girl power. Her fierce persona and funky lyrics, however, tell the story of a much deeper theme: freedom. With immigrant parents from Togo, Africa, Ezo grew up in the south of France in a tiny place called Aurillac. As a child she was beaten and bullied for being the only black girl in town, an experience that haunted her until her father taught her to fight back. He passed away when she was 17, and Jara was left to continue fighting for her dreams without him. She leaned on the women in her life who taught her dance, music and courage. In Fighter, we meet the three women who help shape her destiny.

A Designer’s Canvas is about a young fashion designer named Pierre-Henry Bor. He combines a classic Chanel elegance with a modern, edgy style. Pierre has been an artist since he was a kid. The spark for fashion design came to him when he came across the fashion institute, Instituto Marangoni. He has interned for famous designers like Eric Charles Donatien and Iris Van Herpen. His designs are heavily influenced by these designers and reflect the classic architectural style of Paris.

Le Debut is about Alice Elia, the latest winner of Suzy Amis Cameron’s Red Carpet Green Dress Competition. Growing up in scenic Bordeaux, France, Alice’s growing heart for fashion began to bloom at the early age of 7. She enrolled in ESMOD School of Fashion Design and Business in Bordeaux and transferred to the school’s branch in Paris two years ago. Being chosen as the winning designer for the Red Carpet Green Dress Competition, her design was worn by Hollywood actress Olga Kurylenko at the Oscars in March. Le Debut follows Alice as her time at ESMOD is coming to an end, and her debut into the real world of fashion is about to unveil.

Meet the talented students who made these films on Sept. 30 at the Belcourt and enjoy the private screening.

The MTSU students who filmed and produced Paris documentaries are: (back left to right) Lucas Fleming, Richard Adams, Tiffany Murray, Amber Bradford, Justin Carroll, Samantha Hearn and Kelly Rozell; (front left to right) Kelsey Price and Bing Li.