Media innovation executive Opeyemi-Olukemi is the new director of the Center for Documentary Studies. Photo: Samantha Everette

ART NEWS: Opeyemi Olukemi is New Center for Documentary Studies Director. She intends to continue proving the necessity of nonfiction art in an incredibly volatile time.

BY KAZAD

DURHAM, NC-The Center for Documentary Studies (CDS) at Duke University has appointed Opeyemi Olukemi as its new director.  A seasoned professional, Olukemi brings a world of experience to her new position.

Prior to joining CDS, Olukemi worked at the Tribeca Film Institute, where she was the senior director of interactive programs. During her tenure at Tribeca, she initiated groundbreaking partnerships, initiatives, and projects at the intersections of technology and storytelling. In addition to overseeing innovative public programs, she also supported media and tech-based makers with targeted funds. She also engendered innovative spaces for collaboration, experimentation, and creation.

Olukemi was also the vice president of innovation and executive producer of POV Spark at American Documentary | POV, the interactive arm of the organization’s independent nonfiction film series on PBS.  During her tenure, Olukemi expanded the focus of the project, making it more encompassing. Her innovative approach culminated in the production and funding of interactive projects for public media. POV Spark also supported artists through creative ideation labs, production and distribution support, and collaborative initiatives.  

The results of Olukemi’s all-encompassing innovative approach continue to bring credence to POV Spark around the world. One of them is the African Interactive Art (AIA) residency program, created in partnership with the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Venice Biennale.  Another is Otherly, an Instagram-based documentary film series produced with the National Film Board of Canada featuring female, non-binary, and genderqueer creators.

In 2020, Olukemi executive-produced two poignant projects, Atomu and The Changing Same: An American Pilgrimage. Both projects used innovative virtual reality technology to address issues of gender, race, and injustice. The projects premiered at Sundance, and the latter won the best immersive narrative award at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. 

Mentoring Emerging Documentary Film Makers

Olufunke is an educator who loves to impart knowledge. In that vein, she has worked with and supported peer media institutions, serving as a mentor for Sundance’s New Frontier Lab and International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam’s (IDFA) Doc Academy. Olukemi has also worked with the New Museum’s NEW INC, Oculus’s VR for Good, and the Venice Biennale College Cinema.

A media innovation executive, Olukemi initiated new and lasting ideas everywhere she has worked.  Not surprising, she was selected unanimously by a search committee representing the CDS Board of Directors, staff, and faculty. “Opeyemi Olukemi brings a wealth of experience across a range of documentary forms and a deep appreciation of both its traditional and contemporary, cutting-edge modes of presentation,” the committee noted.

The committee also commended Olukemi’s understanding of organizations and how to use innovation for excellence. The committee leader Peter Lange, provost emeritus at Duke and chairman of the CDS board describes Olukemi thus glowingly. “She is dynamic and joyful and brings those qualities to all she does,” he said.

Opeyemi Olukemi Has Big Shoes to Fill

Sally Kornbluth, Duke University Provost, further highlights the selection of Opeyemi Olukemi.  “Opeyemi Olukemi has distinguished herself through her commitment to innovation and equity in the arts, and I look forward to working with her here at Duke,” she said.

Olukemi is the fourth director in the center’s thirty-two-year history. She follows former CDS directors Iris Tillman Hill, Tom Rankin, and, most recently, Wesley Hogan.

The Center for Documentary Studies was founded in 1989 as a support corporation of Duke University. The center is dedicated to the evolving practice of the documentary arts and to supporting documentary artists with an emphasis on their roles in contributing to society.

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The Center for Documentary Studies legacy and its potential as a transformative agent at a fraught moment in history drew Olukemi to apply for the job. “The overlapping crises facing humanity create an interesting challenge and opportunity for the arts,” she said. Olukemi adds:

“The Center for Documentary Studies is uniquely positioned to lead not just in nonfiction media creation, but in determining the power of documentary and its impact on our culture, and in critiquing, challenging, and altering the systemic forces that bind us.”

Olukemi also acknowledged the immense cultural footprint, grounding of CDS in multiple artistic disciplines. She is certain that with educational support from Duke University, “CDS will prove the necessity of nonfiction art in an incredibly volatile time.”

One of the Center’s major programs is The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. The event brings together new documentary films from across the globe annually. Winners get a combined value of almost $50,000 in cash prizes. Faya Dayi, directed and produced by Jessica Beshir, won the top prize of $15,000 for 2021.

Opeyemi Olukemi set to take the Center for Documentary Studies to the next level. What do you think about her appointement? Share your thoughts. Leave a comment.