Filmmaker Statement

"Fair" is a topsy turvy look through a sensorial microscope at the Durham Fair. The short documentary is directed by local Elle Rinaldi—who has never missed the fair a day in her life—and midwesterner Amira Stone who, like most of the world, has been to a fair maybe once or twice. Both inside and outside, their perspective is personal yet fresh, empathetic yet reflective. With "Fair", they dive into the joy and beauty of this otherworldly community space where folks of all ages, genders, races, and politics show up in one space to indulge the senses entirely. At the same time, the film takes a step back to meditate on the darker themes that shape the iconic American country fair, the juxtapositions and contradictions that arise out of all these intersecting identities showing up in one place, on land which holds an entire world of animals, elements, spirits, and histories.