Documentary Film, Buen Camino, to Premiere at Fayetteville Public Library

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Buen Camino, an award-winning short documentary film produced by the University of Arkansas Honors College in collaboration with University Relations, will have its public premiere at 6 p.m. Thursday, October 17 in the Walker Community Room at the Fayetteville Public Library.

“Buen Camino is a fun and inspiring story, and really well done,” said Larry Foley, chair of the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, and a project adviser. “The students, faculty and the remarkable locations take center stage. A must-see for lovers of history and culture.”

The 25-minute documentary follows 18 honors students who set off on the medieval Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route through France and Spain. Along the way the students present their research at spectacular cathedrals, castles and convents, brave a trek through a Pyrenean thunderstorm, and get out of their comfort zone by trying Spanish pulpo.

Come early, at 5:45 p.m., to hear members of the World Music Ensemble play Cantigas de Santa Maria, 13th-century musical poems that were sung by medieval pilgrims hiking the Camino.

Students and faculty featured in the film, and the U of A staffmembers who produced it, will answer questions following the screening.

Buen Camino has aired on Arkansas Educational Television Network and won four awards in the 40th Annual Telly Awards, a national contest judged by experts from some of the most prestigious companies in entertainment, publishing, advertising and emerging technology. Buen Camino won a Gold Telly in the “Television: Educational Institution” category, one of two films so honored in the nation.

Members of the film’s creative team also earned three silver Tellys in the television category for Videography/Cinematography, Writing, and Voiceover, with the latter award bestowed upon Honors College Fellow Jacob Purifoy for his narration. Purifoy, an honors biology major from Ashdown, had no professional experience with voice acting before the project.

Follow the Buen Camino Facebook page for news and updates on the film.

About the Honors College: The University of Arkansas Honors College was established in 2002 and unites the university’s top undergraduate students and professors in a learning environment characterized by discovery, creativity and service. Each year the Honors College awards up to 90 freshman fellowships that provide $72,000 over four years, and more than $1 million in undergraduate research and study abroad grants. The Honors College is nationally recognized for the high caliber of students it admits and graduates. Honors students enjoy small, in-depth classes, and programs are offered in all disciplines, tailored to students’ academic interests, with interdisciplinary collaborations encouraged. Fifty percent of Honors College graduates have studied abroad – three times the national average – and 100 percent of them have engaged in mentored research.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.