NC Roundup

North Carolina

When North Carolina invited local filmmakers to bring their state to life in short films, no one could have predicted the range and quality that would come pouring in. Turns out, North Carolina is as much a land of amazing storytellers as it is of amazing stories. Starting with a simple premise—what’s a “first” you experienced in North Carolina that’s had a lasting impact?—the resulting films packed remarkable complexity, beauty, joy and even raw vulnerability into a few short minutes. Check out six of our favorites to experience everything from a competitive cyclist’s solo sojourn, to a couple’s first epic adventure, to a mother and daughter’s healing journey. Just be warned that you will come away hungry—not just for the epic eats you’ll spy from time to time, but also for the epic beauty you’ll see in the backdrop, whether that’s the coast, the countryside, the mountains (or in one case, all three). If you give into those cravings and book soon, you’ll still have time to document and submit your own NC first. And while the travel will be its own reward, a secondary prize awaits one lucky winner: the ultimate seven-day adventure in North Carolina.

A couple in search of their “first big, epic adventure together,” Jeff and Debra Rezeli didn’t have to look beyond their home state. Based in Raleigh—where he’s a principal at an architecture firm and she’s the engagement director for an educational nonprofit—they resolved to hike, bike and canoe their way along the 1,175 miles that form North Carolina’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Now, the Rezelis’ journey through the state’s mountain, Piedmont and coastal regions has been turned into a remarkably meditative film.

Kaysee Armstrong has been around the world on two wheels. As an accomplished pro mountain biker, she’s racked up adventures from the Himalayas to the Andes. Still, there really is no place like home for her. A daughter of the Appalachian Mountains, she recognized early on that they gave her an invaluable sense of freedom and safety. Of course, safety won’t be the first thing that comes to mind as you watch Queen of Pisgah—a mud-, sweat- and tears-drenched chronicle of her quest for redemption after a battering in her first pro race in the Pisgah National Forest.

Journey from mountains to sea

Rides to remember

Only a kid at the time—but already intrigued by the punk-like origins of the region’s string bands—a 13-year-old Jacob Sharp unwittingly wagered his entire professional future on the daily catch at a family favorite spot: Emerald Isle’s Bogue Inlet Pier. Watching father and son reflect on that moment in Jacob’s First Mandolin—a short film directed by the title character’s brother—you can’t help but fall for Emerald Isle yourself. And if you fall for Mipso’s string band stylings in the process, well, no surprise.

Small vacation moments that can change your life

Firsts that last

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“Making memories” has long been a catchphrase of family travel. But those words can become more of a rallying cry when you have a chronically ill kid. “I’m all about making memories,” declares Kansas City, MO, mom Jayme Ambrose. “That’s my biggest goal with her,” she says of her daughter, Callyn, who’s spent more than a decade on chemotherapy in the wake of a diagnosis that left the 14-year-old visually impaired and arthritic, among other challenges.

Art becomes an escape in more ways than one

During the heady early stages of the love story between Areli Barrera de Grodski and Leon Grodski Barrera, he sent her a text about a favorite aspect of his Long Island youth: “little waves rushing up the shore.” At the time, she was seated in front of a beautifully flowing river—and the exchange became so meaningful to the couple that when they had to choose a name for their first brick-and-mortar business several years later, Little Waves Coffee Roasters was born.

Ripple effects worth traveling for— and getting a taste of

If there were a warning for films that induced transcendental dream states, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough would have to carry it—though the narrator basically tips you off himself. “As a child,” says Eternal Polk, “I would often lose myself in the wilderness of my own imagination, finding myself in faraway lands I imagined look like the trails [of Stone Mountain].” Anyone who’s ever daydreamed will see his point as he leads his daughter Maxwell-Rose and her dog Gigi McLickious through this lushly forested state park to the hypnotic stylings of sound designer Omari Jazz.

When mythic landscapes of childhood imagination turn into real-life father-daughter adventures

In 2011, an NPR headline asked whether string bands were the next big thing. That same year, as if on cue, a student string band called the Mipso Trio took off at UNC-Chapel Hill. Having since become a quartet—graduating from campus gigs to a global touring schedule and six albums—this celebrated group may never have come to life in the first place if not for a fateful day on the Crystal Coast years earlier, when one of Mipso’s founding members won his first ever mandolin off a fishing bet with his dad.

Seagrove, a short film named for the eponymous North Carolina town, recounts one such memory-making mission—albeit to an unexpected place: the reputed pottery capital of the USA. To be clear, there’s generally nothing surprising about wanting to experience this part of North Carolina—all rolling hills, bucolic farmlands and towering woods—but an art and artisans’ enclave might seem an odd choice for a visually-impaired child. That is, until you get to know the child (and potters) in question, as you will over the course of this beautiful tale.

Now an award-winning Durham institution, Little Waves—together with its sister business Cocoa Cinnamon—is the subject of a short film. And though Making Waves explores the loveliest of themes (partnership, heritage, connection to community and the planet), watch at your own peril: The decadent-looking drinks and treats that appear throughout will have you wishing you could break through your screen. Then again, Durham is easy enough to reach from across the U.S. that you could well be sitting down to your own churros and house-made vanilla bean syrup-drizzled Amuleto latte by coffee-o-clock tomorrow.

Watch some North Carolina stories, then start planning your own adventure.

in collaboration with:

Stone Mountain State Park

Durham

Seagrove

Crystal Coast

Pisgah National Forest

Mountains-to-sea Trail

Along the course’s dramatic climbs and descents, “it feels like you are constantly either falling, or fighting the fall,” she says. Then again, that same forest can feel “so loving,” to borrow her words—and as it enfolds her in its epic embrace over the course of the short film, you'll get pulled right on in there with her. Whether you’ve spent any time on the seat of a mountain bike—or ever intend to—you can’t help but feel the lure of these gorgeous trails, and the tenacious characters who ride them.

In the few short minutes you’ll spend watching So Far, you’ll practically feel your heart rate slow and your breath deepen as you accompany the duo along the trail’s sun-dappled waterways, leafy hiking routes and rocking-chair strewn country porches. And that sense of stillness and serenity was deliberate. “We decided we need to slow down and really enjoy the experience,” Debra says. Adds Jeff, “We were out there in nature, seeing some of the most amazing things we’re ever going to see in our lives, and it was important to cherish those moments.” Should you decide to plot your own version of that bucket-list experience, as this film all but guarantees you will, bear in mind that you can easily break the Mountains-to-Sea Trail into easy segments that include plenty of gorgeous day trips.

Polk also happens to be the film’s director—and as a twice Emmy-nominated pro, he knows precisely how to showcase beauty at its most ethereal. But he doesn’t do so for the exclusive benefit of the audience: “One of the jobs as a father is to make sure that my daughter has a collection of beautiful memories,” he says. And you’ll love watching him add to that collection with this gorgeous “cinematic poem” to her—an open invitation to experience those same magical landscapes for yourself.

Watch some North Carolina stories, then start planning your own adventure.

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