Filmmaker of the Month - July 2023 - Din Blankenship & Erin Bernhardt
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Din Blankenship & Erin Bernhardt
Din Blankenship Biography: Din is an award-winning filmmaker based in Birmingham, AL. Her first documentary, REFUGE premiered at DOC NYC in 2021, where it was awarded Special Mention in the US Competition and was a nominee for the Grand Jury Prize. It has since won the audience award and jury award for Best Documentary at multiple film festivals, was recently listed in “USA Today’s List of Movies You’ll Want to Watch in 2023,” and is now available on all Delta flights worldwide. Prior to filmmaking, Din worked as an architectural designer for over a decade, She has a Masters in Architecture with High Distinction from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Architecture from the University of Virginia. She is currently in Production on Love, Your Birth Mom, a documentary that follows several pregnant women who are considering adoption. Each will ultimately decide whether to raise their children or place them into the arms of another family.
Erin Bernhardt Biography: Erin Bernhardt has won numerous film festival awards, two Peabody Awards, and an Emmy. Her first independent feature documentary, IMBA MEANS SING, aired worldwide on Netflix, Delta Studio, and all major VOD platforms. Prior to independent filmmaking, Erin served in the Peace Corps in Madagascar, worked as a Writer/Producer at CNN, and as the Director of Engagement for Points of Light, President George. H. W. Bush’s foundation. She loves volunteering, traveling, teaching yoga, and making her baby boy giggle.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
ERIN: My two greatest inspirations since childhood have been my mom and my brother. They are both incredibly creative and compassionate.
If there is one or more thing you think would make the film industry better, what would it be?
ERIN: It breaks my heart that the film industry is so hard to break into, especially for underrepresented populations. I would love for arts education and access to paid filmmaking internships, gear, and mentorships to be more readily available across the country and world. I imagine we would all have much more attuned perceptions of different people’s truths and also be even more entertained.
Tell us your backstory. How and why did you get into filmmaking?
DIN: My background is actually in architecture. Before making REFUGE, I worked as an architectural designer for over a decade. My background in design has really served me well as a filmmaker. Through architecture, I’ve developed creative insight, skills in visual communication, and the ability to manage complex projects. I chose to leave architecture and move into filmmaking because I believed in the story REFUGE was telling. It was 2017, and I felt like our country was ripping apart at the seams. Extremism of all kinds was on the rise, and our country was more polarized than we have been in my lifetime. I felt desperate to understand why these hateful ideologies were resonating with so many Americans, and it felt like I could do that in choosing to work with Erin on REFUGE.
What films have been the most inspiring or influential to you and why?
DIN: ‘Minding the Gap’ is one of my favorite documentaries and has been hugely influential for me. It’s an arrestingly intimate story that is also a critical examination of race, class, and male adolescence. I think the film is as powerful as it is because Liu doesn’t force an agenda on the viewer; he presents a deeply compelling story and trusts the viewer to draw their own conclusions.
What is your favorite aspect of film production?
DIN: I really enjoy being in post-production. I love the creative process of examining your footage, finding the story that you captured and shaping it creatively with your editor. It’s so rewarding to see the story take shape and your vision brought to life.
Can you describe the business behind independent filmmaking and how you are trying to get your film seen?
DIN: The film industry is complicated and very much in a season of transition, so it’s challenging to know how to approach your film’s financing, sales and distribution. We’re seeing fewer documentaries be acquired by streamers and distributors, which has then impacted traditional film financing. I definitely don’t have any answers, but am continually reading what I can and seeking out the insight of others who have a good pulse on the industry overall. We’re also seeing more filmmakers who are self-distributing and able to get their film seen through robust impact and education models.
What are the next project or projects you are beginning work on?
DIN: I’m currently in Production on a documentary called, Love, Your Birth Mom. Love, Your Birth Mom is an intimate portrayal of the experience of placing a child for adoption. The feature-length documentary follows several women who are pregnant and considering what if the best thing she can do for her child is to let them go? I’m an adoptive mom, so the story is deeply personal to me, and I also think it addresses one of the most pressing issues facing our country today - the experience of being pregnant in a post-Roe America and questioning whether you have the support, resources, or ability to raise your child.
Learn More:
- Refuge Website
- Follow Refuge on Instagram
- Love, Your Birth Mom Website
