Former COD Student's Documentary 'Raising Bertie' to Premiere at Full Frame Festival
The latest project by former College of DuPage student Margaret Byrne, the feature-length documentary "Raising Bertie," will have its world premiere at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival on Saturday, April 9, in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
The movie is being released by Chicago's award-winning collective Kartemquin Films as part of its 50th anniversary year. Byrne, a former College of DuPage photography student who now teaches part-time in the Motion Picture/TV program, began "Raising Bertie" in 2009. Set in Bertie County, a predominantly African American rural community in the eastern part of North Carolina, the film initially began as a look at The Hive, an alternative school for at-risk boys.
"I was initially commissioned to produce a short film about the school," she said. "Three months into filming, the local Board of Education shut down the school due to budget cuts, and the project turned into something far more complex."
Byrne focused on three of the boys - Reginald "Junior" Askew, David "Bud" Perry and Davonte "Dada" Harrell - and followed them for six years as they returned to Bertie High School and grew into adults. They faced grief, violence, first love, fatherhood, unemployment and estrangement from family members and mentors.
"You see what happens when their support system is taken away. People didn't expect a lot from these boys and others like them, and I want audiences to understand their value," she said.
Last fall, "Raising Bertie" kicked off the fourth season of Fresh Docs, the Southern Documentary Fund's monthly work-in-progress series, with a free screening in Durham, N.C., followed by a feedback session. Current and former residents of Bertie County were in the audience, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
"People said the film reflected their community. They want people to understand that there's little to no opportunity there," she said. "The film is not a problem solver, but I hope we can use it in a way to engage people in a larger conversation about the issues presented in the film."
As a child, Byrne took an interest in photography when she was fascinated by her family's home videos. At age 10 she received her first point-and-shoot camera; three years later, her grandfather built a darkroom in the basement of her parents' home. She later studied photography at College of DuPage.
"I always knew this is what I wanted to do," she said. "I learned so much when I was at COD. The resources are incredible."
After earning a bachelor's degree in film from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Byrne started her own production company, which required her to learn the business of film. Her biggest client for a decade was recording artist Mary J. Blige, and she was creative director and content producer for Blige's record label, Matriarch. Byrne also traveled across Africa in 2005 to help launch MTV on that continent.
In 2013, Byrne was honored at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival as part of the filmmaking team on the documentary "American Promise." The film centers on filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, who enrolled their 5-year-old son Idris in the Dalton School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 1999. Idris, his best friend and classmate Seun, and their families are chronicled from the first day of kindergarten through high school graduation as they deal with issues of identity, class and education. Byrne spent more than eight years as a director of photography on the documentary, which received the Special Jury Award for Achievement in Filmmaking at Sundance.
For "Raising Bertie," her debut as a director, Byrne received a $120,000 grant for the project through the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which supports independently produced film and video. She also received one of the first filmmaking grants from the Southern Documentary Fund as well as a Ford Foundation Grant for $50,000.
In addition to making films, Byrne teaches "Editing for Motion Pictures and Television" at COD. She often tells her students what to expect if they want to become filmmakers.
"It took me four years before I secured funding for 'Raising Bertie,' so I always tell them to be persistent and never give up," she said. "If you get 2 percent of the funding you pursue, that's great. And you must become part of the filmmaking community. The relationships you make are key to your success."
Byrne is excited to have J. Cole, a hip-hop artist from North Carolina, as an executive producer on "Raising Bertie," and his label Dreamville has contributed music to the film. She is looking forward to premiere at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, when the film will be shown in 975-seat Fletcher Hall. The premiere also will be attended by the three young men followed in the film.
"The expectations for these young men were not high, and yet over the course of six years, they were relatively successful with the resources they did have," she said. "'Raising Bertie' is a very emotional story, one that gives audiences access to a world that people don't see."
College of DuPage is an accredited community college that serves more than 29,000 students each term. The College, which grants nine associate degrees and more than 170 certificates in 100 areas of study, is the second largest provider of public undergraduate education in Illinois.
For information about the Motion Picture/TV program, visit www.cod.edu/programs/mptv, call (630) 942-2892 or email glinkeg@cod.edu. For information about the Photography program, visit www.cod.edu/programs/photography, call (630) 942-2317 or email jackowia@cod.edu.