Prom (2010) - Martin Bell / Mary Ellen Mark

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Prom is an American tradition—a rite of passage and one of the most important rituals of American youth; a day that is never forgotten—a day full of hopes and dreams for the future. For four years, from 2006-2009, filmmaker Martin Bell and photographer Mary Ellen Mark travelled around the country and documented proms.  They went to twelve high schools in 10 cities, covering a wide range of ethnic and economic groups. While Mary Ellen Mark made portraits of the Prom-goers with the 20x24 Polaroid camera, Martin Bell interviewed the students in an adjacent studio.  When the project finally came to a close, Bell had interviewed over three hundred students.

This film will be included in Mary Ellen Mark's book Prom, to be published by Getty Publications for the 2012 prom season.

Directed by Martin Bell (Streetwise)
Written by Martin Bell and Mary Ellen Mark
Official Site

Prom - Clip 1
Prom - Clip 2
Prom - Clip 3