John Finley Rash| Filmmaker, Duke MFA Alumnus
This interview was conducted over email with John Finley Rash, producer and co-director of the film "Our Movement Starts Here," by Maria Alba, a second-year undergraduate student working for the Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute.
What led you to investigate and advocate for environmental justice?
The thesis film I produced in 2014 for Duke’s MFA-EDA program had environmental themes and that experience showed me the power of film as a medium for starting conversations about important issues. As a native of North Carolina I also wanted to make a film that highlighted issues relevant to the state. When beginning this project I set out to make a film about CAFOs and the environmental justice issues facing Eastern North Carolina due to hog and chick farms. However, after several months of fieldwork on that project I ran into another film crew who had already invested over a year in the production of the film The Smell of Money. Not wanting to compete for resources I decided to find another story and remembered having read about the PCB protests in Warren County in my research of environmental justice issues in North Carolina. After visiting Warren County and realizing it had been nearly 40 years and there was never a film made about this important history I knew that I was in the right place.
How do you find and choose specific causes that you want to create a film about?
My interests are typically in environmental issues, social justice issues, or stories that investigate cultural outsiders. I have also made a few music documentaries that usually touch on one or all of those issues. If there is a story that can connect with modern society on a human level but also engage the audience in a conversation about how to make the world a better place I am piqued and think it may be a film worth producing.
What did you find to be particularly unique about this project, and what it taught you, compared to your other films?
The film is explicitly about a community that came together to fight against an oppressive power that put them in the crosshairs because they were perceived to be least equipped to fight. However, the citizens fought with vigilance and inspired communities around the world to do the same. The implicit story is about the power of black women involved in public policy and civil engagement. Mrs. Dolly Burwell and former North Carolina Representative Eva Clayton were so appalled by this atrocity in their county that for the past four decades they dedicated their lives to having their voices heard as the first elected black female officials at local and state levels. They broke countless glass ceilings to earn seats at the table for all those that share their background. Two months ago, I could have never guessed that this film and their story would resonate so poignantly with our current national political climate. But it does. Voting matters. Who you elect matters. Empowering traditionally marginalized voices and creating equal opportunities for representation is among the most fundamental of our American values.
What was the greatest challenge you encountered while working on this project?
The COVID-19 pandemic forced production of this film to be halted for nearly 2 years. At the time that felt like a great frustration on the process but ended up being a gift due to the fact that once we felt safe to continue filming we were less than a year away from the 40th anniversary of the original protests. That allowed us to include the week of events that happened across central North Carolina to be part of the film and also gave us access to more voices who we might not have been able to access otherwise.
What resources or opportunities did you gain through Duke that you feel are pivotal to your career and success?
I came to Duke as a photographer and an educator. I left Duke as a filmmaker and a documentarian. My career shifted in monumental ways due to my experiences in the Duke MFA-EDA. I also had the tremendous opportunity to work at Duke Kunshan University and to collaborate with the Provost’s Office during the foundational years of DKU. That time was a real start-up environment at DKU and allowed me to participate in the foundational activities that launched a brand new university. I often draw from those experiences when discussing new programs and curriculum in my role now as Assistant Professor at the University of Mississippi.
What advice would you give to an aspiring filmmaker?
Everyone has a story to tell. No story is too small. You don’t need a huge budget or tremendous resources as long as you’re willing to give your time and your honest and ethical efforts. Do It Yourself is not just about home improvement, it’s the means to finding the solutions to making the impossible possible in any creative endeavor.