Elizabeth Miller-Derstine has been at Eastern Mennonite University for such a short time that the students who visit her office remark that she needs to bring more books and touches of home to make it her own.
But the new assistant professor of digital media has brought a growing filmography and an increasing list of accolades to EMU.
Miller-Derstine, who is now a Harrisonburg resident and has more projects in the works, directed her debut film, “Once Upon a Wetland,” while living in North Carolina. The film, which follows two contestants in Durham’s quirky annual Beaver Queen Pageant, is eligible for Oscar consideration in the Short Documentary category.
“I had just graduated with my Master’s in documentary film from Wake Forest,” Miller-Derstine said. “I knew I wanted my next film to be something that could bring me joy as I was creating it. I wanted films that pointed toward the hope that comes from such strong communities. I found out about the Beaver Queen Pageant, and I reached out to the organizers and said I wanted to hear more about what the Beaver Queen Pageant is.”
“Once Upon a Wetland” is described as a tribute to Durham’s ecosystem of artists, neighbors, weirdos, and wetlands. Miller-Derstine took particular interest in a contestant who went by the moniker Ginger Bite-Dis, a gender-fluid teen who gained self-confidence through the experience, and Madam Bitey White, a veteran contestant well known in the Durham community.
Another filmmaker, Ian Kibbe, had also reached out to pageant organizers about making a documentary. The two wound up collaborating with Kibbe producing and Miller-Derstine directing.
“We wanted this film to be accessible to people outside of Durham,” Miller-Derstine said. “We wanted to make sure we created a film that felt like you were at the pageant. We wound up doing some fun, almost experimental docu-fiction elements in it. We wanted the film to be a bright, hopeful space.”
Miller-Derstine’s student film, “Bloom,” gained acclaim as she finished her degree at Wake Forest University. “Once Upon a Wetland” was accepted into film festivals, including the Road to the Oscars, resulting in a theatrical release in New York.
That made the film eligible for Oscar consideration, and it’s now being screened to Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members, where it could receive nominations in the short documentary category.
Miller-Derstine considers the film a long shot to earn a nomination, but admitted it was exciting to know Academy members are watching it.
“It is a very complicated and very expensive process to actually do an Oscar campaign,” she said.
Her mentor, Peter Gilbert, thinks Miller-Derstine could be selling herself short. Gilbert is a member of the Academy himself, and among his films is “Hoop Dreams,” which he co-produced with James Madison University alum Steve James.
Gilbert said Miller-Derstine’s skill and talent as a documentarian and filmmaker were apparent even as a student.
“She came in and was one of my students, and she quickly stood out as somebody who has a really good eye,” Gilbert said. “She, from Day 1, had a real feel for cinematography. And a real feel for storytelling. I think that’s the key. She was very talented in the craft side, but the craft side doesn’t get you anywhere if you can’t tell a good story from beginning to end, and I think that’s where her strength really is.”
Miller-Derstine is in post-production on another film about the niche sport of medieval armored combat, which may be feature-length. The recognition for “Once Upon a Wetland” has opened even more doors for her.
“The level that we’ve gotten to with it, it is really nice to be recognized as making a film that was meaningful in its time,” Miller-Derstine said. “That’s one of the things I like about the Oscars. It’s not about just the best film of the year or most entertaining. It’s about the film that makes the most sense in this time and this space, and I think our film really speaks about this time in this year.”
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