Resita Cox Freedom Hill film collection , circa 2021-2022

Using These Materials Teaser

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:
Access note. Collection contains electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.
More about accessing and using these materials...

Summary

Creator:
Cox , Resita and Archive of Documentary Arts (Duke University)
Abstract:
Resita Cox is an award-winning documentary film director and producer, and creator of the documentary film, Freedom Hill. The collection features video files related to Freedom Hill including the film, interviews, and the student documentaries from the Freedom Hill Youth Media Camp. The film examines the community of Princeville, North Carolina and the effects of climate change, environmental racism on life for its 2000 residents. The media camp video files feature work from the inaugural cohort of student documentary filmmakers. Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts.
Extent:
27.6 Gigabytes
Language:
Materials in English.
Collection ID:
RL.13115

Background

Scope and content:

Collection contains eight video files created circa 2021-2022 related to the documentary film, Freedom Hill, and the Freedom Hill Youth Media Camp. Materials include several versions of Freedom Hill, interviews with several individuals that appeared in the documentary, and films created by students attending the inaugural youth media camp in 2022. Topics featured in Freedom Hill, interview videos, and student documentaries include climate change, environmental racism, the community of Princeville, North Carolina, and Princeville's Homecoming celebration. Freedom Hill was acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts Collection Awards, 2023.

Biographical / historical:

Resita Cox is an award-winning documentary film director and producer whose works center on Southern, Black Communities and examines environmental justice, racism, and hidden Black histories. Cox obtained a degree in journalism from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Fine Arts degree in documentary film from Northwestern University. In addition, she has worked previously as a TV reporter in North Carolina and Chicago. Cox has received several awards and forms of recognition for her work including selection as a fellow for the Hulu/Kartemquin Accelerator program in 2021, Esteemed Artist by the city of Chicago in 2022, and a Regional Emmy award for her work as a director on the series Firsthand: Life After Prison airing on WTTW in Chicago.

The film, Freedom Hill , was developed out of Cox discovering more about Princeville, North Carolina, located an hour away from where she grew up. Princeville is considered the first town incorporated by formerly enslaved people after the United States Civil War and developed into a self-sufficient, all Black town. However, Princeville has been overwhelmed with flooding and erosion over the centuries. In Freedom Hill , Cox explores how environmental racism has led to the town being washed away.

In 2022, after completing Freedom Hill , Cox premiered the film at multiple film festivals alongside creating an impact campaign. The film would win several awards including the Best Documentary Short at the Middlebury New Filmmakers Film Festival, the Best Documentary Short on Sustainability Runner-up at the DC Environmental Film Festival, and was one of the recipients of the Archive of Documentary Arts Collection Awards at Duke University in 2023.

The impact campaign for the film led to several educational endeavors related to raising awareness of environmental issues and the historical significance and preservation of Princeville. It also included the creation of the Freedom Hill Youth Media Camp in 2022 to create opportunities for students to learn documentary filmmaking, Princeville's Black history, and methods to document and archive their experiences. The program continues as part of the Freedom Org programming for students interested in filmmaking.

Sources:

The Freedom Hill website, https://www.thefreedomhilldoc.com/, accessed December 12, 2024.

Resita Cox's personal website, https://www.resitacox.com/, accessed December 12, 2024.

The Freedom Org webpage on Freedom Hill Youth Media Camp, https://www.freedomorg.org/media-camp-fellowship, accessed December 20, 2024.

Acquisition information:
The Resita Cox Freedom Hill film collection was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2024.
Processing information:

Processed by Tere Elizalde, December, 2024

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2024-0128

Arrangement:

Materials are arranged in order as originally received by the donor.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Access note. Collection contains electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

Before you visit:
Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Resita Cox Freedom Hill film collection, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1xb2v