7:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 27, 2009 The Washington Room, 2nd floor of the David Student Union Christopher Newport University Open to the public free of charge.

DOCUMENTARY FILMS—on television, in theaters, and on the web—have emerged as a powerful force in the worlds of both information and entertainment. But are audiences, including educators and policymakers, prepared to evaluate these works not only in terms of content but also craft? Sheila Curran Bernard is a longtime advocate as well as practitioner of ethical and effective media storytelling , drawing on the tools of the dramatist, novelist, and journalist to reach and engage audiences. Her book, Documentary Storytelling (Focal Press), now going into its third edition and used by film students and filmmakers worldwide, has been called “brilliant and effective” and “enlightening.”

Sheila Curran Bernard is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, writer, and consultant with credits on numerous documentary films and series, primarily for PBS but also for cable, theatrical release, and museum and classroom use. Her books include Documentary Storytelling: Making Stronger and More Dramatic Nonfiction Films and (with Kenn Rabin), Archival Storytelling: A Filmmaker’s Guide to Finding, Using, and Licensing Third-Party Visuals and Music. Bernard was the Anschutz Distinguished Fellow in American Studies at Princeton University in 2005 and has enjoyed residencies at the MacDowell Colony and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She holds a joint appointment at the University at Albany, SUNY, with the History Department and Documentary Studies Program and the New York State Writers Institute.

•Documentary Storytelling—Sheila Curran Bernard's Web site