Beverly A Seckinger
- Professor, School of Theatre/Film and Television
- Professor, Social / Cultural / Critical Theory - GIDP
- Member of the Graduate Faculty
- Distinguished Outreach Professor
Contact
- (520) 621-1239
- Louise Foucar Marshall Bldg., Rm. 229
- Tucson, AZ 85721
- bsecking@arizona.edu
Biography
Beverly Seckinger, M.A., M.F.A. is Professor in the School of Theatre, Film & Television and former Interim Director (2008-2010) and Associate Director (2004-2008) of the School of Media Arts. She is a founding member of the UA Committee (now Institute) for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies, and since 1993 has directed the annual Lesbian Looks Film Series. She is now in the process of establishing a Center for Documentary at the University of Arizona, and directs the DocScapes screening and workshop series. She also teaches in the Human Rights Practice online master's program.
Her film Hippie Family Values, a feature-length documentary about three generations at a back-to-the-land community in rural New Mexico, won the Grand Festival Award for Documentary at the Berkeley Film Festival, the Outstanding Project Award for 2019 from the Communal Studies Association, and the Outstanding Documentary Award from the University Film & Video Association. The film continues to screen in community and campus venues across the country, and is distributed to educational institutions by New Day Films.
Seckinger’s previous films have been screened on PBS, at international festivals in the US, Europe, Canada, Australia and Latin America, and non-theatrically throughout the U.S. Her 2004 diary/documentary Laramie Inside Out, about the aftermath of Matthew Shepard's 1998 murder in her hometown community, had its U.S. broadcast premier on PBS in June 2007, and is distributed by New Day Films, Filmoption/Canada, and American Public Television. It has been screened at dozens of universities, conferences and community events across the country, and purchased for the permanent collections of nearly 400 colleges and universities.
Seckinger has served on the Steering Committee of New Day Films, the leading filmmaker-owned distribution company for social issue documentaries, as head of the Web Operations team (2014-16) and as Head of Promotions (2010-12). She is also a longtime member and former officer and board member of the University Film & Video Association.
Degrees
- M.F.A. Radio-Television-Film
- Temple University
- M.A. Anthropology
- University of Arizona
- B.A. English and French
- University of Wyoming
Work Experience
- School of Theatre, Film & Television, University of Arizona (2010 - 2011)
- School of Theatre, Film & Television, University of Arizona (2008 - Ongoing)
- School of Media Arts, University of Arizona (2008 - 2010)
- Department of Media Arts, University of Arizona (2004 - 2008)
- Department of Media Arts, University of Arizona (1997 - 2008)
- Department of Media Arts, University of Arizona (1991 - 1997)
Awards
- University Distinguished Outreach Professor
- University of Arizona, Spring 2022
- Faculty-Student Interaction Grant
- Spring 2020
- Fall 2019
- Spring 2019
- Fall 2018
- Spring 2018
- Fall 2012
- DocScapes co-sponsorships
- In addition to the Hanson Film Institute, co-sponsors for 2019 include the Human Rights Practice Program, the Center for Latin American Studies, the School of Anthropology, the School of Journalism, the Center for Border and Global Journalism, and the Faculty Fellows program., Fall 2019
- Grand Festival Award for Documentary
- Berkeley Video and Film Festival, Fall 2019
- Outstanding Project Award for 2019
- Communal Studies Association, Fall 2019
- CFA Small Grant
- Summer 2018
- Fall 2001
- Spring 2001
- Outstanding Feature Documentary
- University Film & Video Association, Summer 2018
- Faculty-student interaction grant
- Spring 2018
- Spring 2004
- Fulbright Scholar Award
- Council for International Exchange of Scholars, Spring 2014 (Award Finalist)
- Innovation Farm Project Grant
- Confluence Center for Creative Inquiry, Spring 2014
- Student-Faculty Interaction Grant
- Spring 2012
- Arizona Commission on the Arts Artist Project Grant
- Spring 2008
- Research Fellowship
- Fall 2007
- Sabbatical leave
- Fall 2007
- Best of Arizona Award
- Spring 2004
- Who's Who in Fine Arts Higher Education
- Fall 2003
- Student Faculty Interaction Grant
- Spring 2003
- Media Arts Fellowship
- Spring 2002
- Media Arts Fellowship 2002
- Fall 2001
Interests
No activities entered.
Courses
2025-26 Courses
-
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Fall 2025)
2024-25 Courses
-
HRTS Masters Capstone
HRTS 909 (Summer I 2025) -
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Summer I 2025) -
HRTS Independent Study
HRTS 599 (Spring 2025) -
History of Documentary
FTV 309 (Spring 2025) -
Honors Thesis
FTV 498H (Spring 2025) -
Intro Film Production
FTV 210 (Spring 2025) -
HRTS Independent Study
HRTS 599 (Fall 2024) -
HRTS Masters Capstone
HRTS 909 (Fall 2024) -
Honors Thesis
FTV 498H (Fall 2024) -
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Fall 2024)
2023-24 Courses
-
HRTS Independent Study
HRTS 599 (Summer I 2024) -
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Summer I 2024) -
Documentary Production
FTV 314A (Fall 2023) -
HRTS Independent Study
HRTS 599 (Fall 2023) -
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Fall 2023) -
Intro Film Production
FTV 210 (Fall 2023)
2022-23 Courses
-
HRTS Independent Study
HRTS 599 (Summer I 2023) -
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Summer I 2023) -
HRTS Masters Capstone
HRTS 909 (Spring 2023) -
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Fall 2022) -
Intro Film Production
FTV 210 (Fall 2022)
2021-22 Courses
-
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Summer I 2022) -
HRTS Masters Capstone
HRTS 909 (Spring 2022) -
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Fall 2021) -
Intro Productn Practices
FTV 210 (Fall 2021) -
Preceptorship
FTV 391 (Fall 2021)
2020-21 Courses
-
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Summer I 2021) -
HRTS Masters Capstone
HRTS 909 (Spring 2021) -
Intro Productn Practices
FTV 210 (Spring 2021) -
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Fall 2020) -
Intro Productn Practices
FTV 210 (Fall 2020)
2019-20 Courses
-
Digital Flmmkg/Comm Media Out
FTV 301 (Spring 2020) -
Honors Thesis
FTV 498H (Spring 2020) -
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Spring 2020) -
Independent Study
FTV 599 (Spring 2020) -
Practicum
FTV 294 (Spring 2020) -
Preceptorship
FTV 391 (Spring 2020) -
Documentary Production
FTV 314A (Fall 2019) -
Honors Thesis
FTV 498H (Fall 2019) -
Independent Study
FTV 599 (Fall 2019) -
Intro Productn Practices
FTV 210 (Fall 2019)
2018-19 Courses
-
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Summer I 2019) -
Intro Productn Practices
FTV 210 (Spring 2019) -
Practicum
FTV 494 (Spring 2019) -
Preceptorship
FTV 391 (Spring 2019) -
Special Topics in Humanities
HNRS 195J (Spring 2019) -
Documentary Production
FTV 314A (Fall 2018) -
Honors Thesis
FTV 498H (Fall 2018) -
Intro Productn Practices
FTV 210 (Fall 2018)
2017-18 Courses
-
Human Rts through Documentary
HRTS 541 (Summer I 2018) -
Digital Flmmkg/Comm Media Out
FTV 301H (Spring 2018) -
Honors Thesis
FTV 498H (Spring 2018) -
Independent Study
FTV 599 (Spring 2018) -
Intro Productn Practices
FTV 210 (Spring 2018) -
Practicum
FTV 394 (Spring 2018) -
Preceptorship
FTV 491 (Spring 2018) -
Special Topics in Humanities
HNRS 195J (Spring 2018) -
Documentary Production
FTV 314A (Fall 2017) -
Intro Productn Practices
FTV 210 (Fall 2017) -
Preceptorship
FTV 391 (Fall 2017)
2016-17 Courses
-
Digital Flmmkg/Comm Media Out
FTV 301H (Spring 2017) -
Intro Productn Practices
FTV 210 (Spring 2017) -
Intro Productn Practices
FTV 210 (Fall 2016) -
Preceptorship
FTV 391 (Fall 2016) -
Special Topics in Humanities
HNRS 195J (Fall 2016)
2015-16 Courses
-
History of Documentary
FTV 309 (Spring 2016) -
Intro Productn Practices
FTV 210 (Spring 2016) -
Preceptorship
FTV 391 (Spring 2016)
Scholarly Contributions
Chapters
- Seckinger, B. A. (2019). Laramie Inside Out: Reflections 20 Years Later. In The Legacies of Matthew Shepard. Routledge.More infoThis essay is a coda to my 2004 film Laramie Inside Out, a personal documentary exploring the aftermath of Matthew Shepard’s murder in my Wyoming hometown.
Presentations
- Seckinger, B. A. (2023). Laramie Inside Out (2004). Public screening at Loft Cinema.
- Seckinger, B. A. (2018, July). “DocVisions: Lessons Learned from Campus-Community Collaboration". University Film & Video Association Annual Conference. New Mexico State University, Las Cruces.More infopresented on the panel, "Speaking Together: Experiences in Participatory and Community-Based Media Making"
- Seckinger, B. A. (2011, Spring). Laramie Inside Out. Misericordia University. Wilkes-Barre, PA.
- Seckinger, B. A. (2007, August 2007). “Distribution—DIY, Education and Mainstream". University Film & Video Association Annual Conference. University of North Texas, Denton.
- Seckinger, B. A. (2006, August 2006). “The New Day Distribution Model and the Educational Market”. University Film and Video Association annual conference. Chapman University.
- Seckinger, B. A. (2005, August 2005). Respondant to documentary film "What is Gay" (dir. Jacqueline Frost). University Film and Video Association annual conference. Columbia College, Chicago.
- Seckinger, B. A. (2003, April 17, 2003). Laramie Inside Out and the Politics of the Personal Documentary. Scottsdale Community College course, "Documentary for Social Change". Scottsdale, Arizona.
- Seckinger, B. A. (2003, July 2003). Developing Your Documentary Voice. Panel on "Teaching the Documentary Experience," University Film and Video Association Annual Conference. Columbia, South Carolina.
- Seckinger, B. A. (2003, July 2003). Formal response to civil rights documentary, "Hoxie: The First Stand". University Film and Video Association Annual Conference. Columbia, South Carolina.
- Seckinger, B. A. (2002, August 2002). "9-11 in the Video Classroom". University Film and Video Association Annual Conference. Ithaca College, Ithaca NY.
- Seckinger, B. A. (2001, August 2001). The Alchemy of Experience and Imagination: Voice in the Personal Documentary. University Film and Video Association. Kodak/Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY.
- Seckinger, B. A. (2001, June 2001). The Making of Laramie, in Love and Trouble. Wyoming Conference on English. University of Wyoming, Laramie.
- Seckinger, B. A. (2001, June 2001). Voice in the Personal Documentary. Wyoming Conference on English. University of Wyoming, Laramie.
Creative Productions
- Seckinger, B. A. (2017. Hippie Family Values. http://hippiefamilyvalues.comMore infoThis feature documentary is an intimate chronicle of hippie elders and their adult children, filmed over a 10-year period at a communal ranch in New Mexico. The founders of this back-to-the-land experiment are slowing down and facing declining health. Will the next generation be able to sustain the community?
Creative Works
- Shine from the Valley; October; I produced this music video with a student crew during presession, shot some additional footage over the summer, and completed editing in September. My roles on the project included directing the primary shoot, shooting some additional footage, and doing most of the editing, including the final cut.
- Hippie Family Values; Documentary Film; Distributed by New Day Films; October; In 2017, I raised over $8000 in completion funding through a second Indiegogo campaign, completed editorial with Jim Klein in May, completed the sound mix in Austin in June, completed the online process in San Francisco in August, and in the Fall prepared all necessary materials for launching educational distribution through New Day Films, and began submitting the film to festivals.
- Laramie, in Love and Trouble; personal documentary; October; This project examines the aftermath of Matthew Shepard's 1998 murder in my hometown of Laramie, Wyoming.I began production in April 1999, and am currently pursuing additional research and shooting, at the same time as continuing to edit the project.In 2001, I was a finalist (= selected for Phase II) for an Independent Television Service dv2k award, but was not selected for funding.
- Laramie Inside Out; Documentary Videotape; March; Premiered in March 2004. Selected for distribution by New Day Films, June 2004
