World Premiere: The Brownsburg Conversations, A feature length documentary directed by Nich L. Perez

Washington and Lee University is proud to announce the world premiere of The Brownsburg
Conversations, a feature-length documentary that brings audiences into the heart of a Virginia
community confronting its past and imagining its future.
The Brownsburg Conversations offers an intimate portrait of Brownsburg, Virginia, a small, tightlyknit
community in Rockbridge County where history is not merely remembered, but lived. The
film weaves together the voices of historians, local pastors, members of the historic Asbury
Church, multi-generational farming families, gifted local craftspeople, children, and recent
arrivals, each reflecting on the weight of the county's history of slavery, the enduring role of faith
in fostering connection, and the possibilities and pressures - of life in a close-knit rural village in a
polarized America.
The documentary is not simply a portrait of a place. It is a record of a process. Co-produced and
edited in deep collaboration with Brownsburg residents and W&L student filmmakers, the film
was built through months of listening, relationship-building, and ethical creative partnership.
Every editorial choice reflects that shared investment. The result is a work that belongs as much
to the community it depicts as to the filmmakers who made it.
The Brownsburg Conversations was directed by Professor Nich L. Perez, Washington and Lee
University's DeLaney Filmmaker-in-Residence. Developed as an immersive, real-world
experiment with Advanced Documentary students in the Fall 2025 semester, the project reflects
Perez's longstanding commitment to community-centered filmmaking, student mentorship, and
collaborative creative practice.
The film will debut on Wednesday, May 6, at the Stackhouse Theater, with doors opening
at 6:00 p.m. A post-screening community conversation and Q&A, moderated by Associate
Professor of Journalism Kevin Finch, will follow the screening and will include community
members, producers, and student filmmakers.