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One Band Indivisible

This feature-length documentary is an intimate portrait of the charismatic marching band at Hillside, a historically African-American high school in Durham, North Carolina. It places the rich tradition of the band, the school, and its unique Durham community into the wider historical context of the American South.

The documentary focuses on five students and is being filmed over two school seasons, capturing the summer band camps, auditions, practices, football games, national championships and parades. The fund-raising initiatives of the band parent organization take the viewer into the present-day Hillside community. Interviews with scholars, educators, alumni and other community members enhance the inspiring story of the Marching Hornets and archival footage gives us a glimpse into the past.

An important part of the One Band Indivisible project included a semester long independent studies documentary film course at Hillside High School. Classes took place every day at the school and the students edited on weekends at the Center for Documentary Studies. Each student made a short film about someone currently or previously in the marching band. Some of this footage will be used in the full length documentary.

One Band Indivisible is being edited and should be completed by the fall of 2008.