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Renfro is a profile of a family owned funeral home in downtown Cincinnati that has remained family owned for almost 100 years, making it the oldest black owned funeral home in the city and one of the oldest in the country. The film follows a body from its arrival at the funeral home, while the current matriarch of the family, Gayle, shares the story of her journey into the business.
Side note: While not the most action packed (even for a documentary) we wanted to match the tone and feel of the owners and the business. If you stepped into Renfro 100 years ago very little look or be done differently.
Creator
Cincinnati, OH, USA
Chris, a native of Cincinnati, OH, while working in restaurant management had a revelation to quit his job (several jobs in fact before it stuck) and pursue what truly made him happy. For him that meant dedicating himself to filmmaking, journalism and above all storytelling. While he knew he wanted to focus on documentary as an art, he had no idea where that desire would lead. After co-founding the non-profit Cincy Stories, he realized how his love of true stories could be utilized in practical ways to improve his city. A few short documentaries about local residents turned into a large scale multimedia project and that turned into multiple large scale projects, a weekly radio show and a much happier and fulfilled Chris. Now, in addition to his passion for all things storytelling, he has a new passion for giving a voice to those whose experiences are often overlooked in his community and creating new ways to activate those stories for real change. His work with Cincy Stories has gained him nine regional Emmy Awards from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. more...
Tags:Shorts