Screening, discussion set for Oct. 13
Daniel Junge
The University of Central Arkansas will host Daniel Junge, an Oscar-winning (two-time nominated) and Emmy-winning (six-time nominated) documentary filmmaker, for a one-day residency on Monday, Oct. 13, with events that include a discussion with students and a screening of his new film “I Was Born This Way” (2025).
“We are so excited to welcome Oscar and Emmy-winning filmmaker Daniel Junge to UCA,” assistant professor of film Mark Thiedeman said. “His work, which includes the four-part documentary series ‘Challenger: The Final Flight’ (Netflix) and ‘A Lego Brickumentary,’ covers a broad range of fascinating topics.
“UCA will host a screening of his new film ‘I Was Born This Way’ ahead of its release, while it continues its film festival run, followed by a Q&A moderated by Dr. Keith Corson. Additionally, in an afternoon filmmaking workshop, Mr. Junge will walk students through the process of crafting a narrative from raw documentary footage.”
Junge’s residency will feature an afternoon workshop with UCA film students in addition to the screening, which will be held at 7 p.m. in Stanley Russ Hall. The event is open to the public and free of charge, with no tickets required for entry. “I Was Born This Way” was co-directed by Junge alongside Sam Pollard, and the film covers the music career and activism of Archbishop Carl Bean, an American singer known for his disco anthem “I Was Born This Way” (1977). The film includes interviews with music legends such as Lady Gaga, Billy Porter, Questlove and Dionne Warwick. After the screening, there will be a Q&A with Junge moderated by UCA film historian Dr. Keith Corson.
The full schedule for Junge’s residency is as follows:
- 3-4 p.m., Craft talk with film students, Stanley Russ Hall 103.
- 7-9:30 p.m., Public film screening: “I Was Born This Way” (2025, Dir. Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard, 1 hour 40 minutes, mature themes); post screening talk back with director Daniel Junge and UCA film historian Dr. Keith Corson, Stanley Russ Hall 103.
Junge is the director of the Oscar-winning documentary short “Saving Face” (2012), which follows a plastic surgeon’s efforts to help women disfigured by acid attacks in Pakistan. He has also directed Sundance-premier “Being Evel” (2015), Toronto-premier “Iron Ladies of Liberia” (2007), South by SXSW-winner “They Killed Sister Dorothy” (2008), Tribeca-premiere “A Lego Brickumentary” (2014) and Oscar-nominee “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” (2009). Junge also served as showrunner for the AMC series “Secret History of Comics” (2017) and Netflix’s “Challenger: The Final Flight” (2020). He has taught filmmaking at the University of Southern California, the University of California, Los Angeles, and Loyola Marymount, among other institutions.
More information on Junge is available at jungefilm.com. More information about the residency is available by contacting Thiedeman at mthiedeman1@uca.edu.
The UCA Artists in Residence program is funded by the Fine and Performing Arts Fee paid by all students, with additional support from Engage Management and Pyramid Art, Books, and Custom Framing. More information about the Artists in Residence program is available at uca.edu/go/artistsinresidence or by contacting Dr. Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at gayles@uca.edu.