Every year, the Made Here series features film work from students at Champlain College. This year's showcase features three short documentaries, one that examines the history and practice of sheep farming in Vermont, another about how fine guitars are crafted locally, and a film that tells the story of a changing Dublin neighborhood, from the Champlain College Dublin campus.
Here are the three films in the showcase:
Spinning a Yarn
Directors: Audrey Lewis & Eliza Olsen
Vermont was once a center for wool production, a state dominated by sheep farming and woolen mills. Those days are long gone, but the passion and purpose of sheep farming continues to this day. In Spinning a Yarn, producers Audrey Lewis and Eliza Olsen cover Vermont鈥檚 sheep farming history, but also bring us to present-day sheep farmers who are keeping a tradition 鈥� and a way of life 鈥� alive.
Sonic Timber
Directors: Luke McCarthy, Nathaniel Schramm & Yunier Martinez
Sonic Timber is a story about luthiers, people who create stringed instruments 鈥� and in this case, very special guitars.
Vermont, it turns out, has its share of fine guitar-makers. Producers Luke McCarthy, Nate Schramm and Yunier Martinez show us how guitars are made, the depth of the craftsmanship involved 鈥� and also something about the price.
In one story, they show how a couple guitars were made from one exotic piece of wood that itself cost six figures. They also include a well-known musician and buyer of these instruments, Trey Anastasio, from the band Phish.
Still Fighting
Director: John Ryan McDonnell
Still Fighting tells the story of 鈥淭he Liberties,鈥� a Dublin neighborhood that鈥檚 going through change.
Producer John McDonnell, studying abroad at Champlain鈥檚 Dublin campus, learned how gentrification is making this popular neighborhood harder for lifelong residents and business owners. By interviewing historians, people in government, shopkeepers and neighbors, John captures the life of this community and raises important questions about the challenges of urban renewal anywhere.
The 2025 Champlain College Student Showcase premieres on 开云体育's PBS station at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, and is available now on demand.
