A reminder that the premiere of “Durham: A Self-Portrait” is set for this Friday night at the Carolina Theatre.  The documentary, by historian and filmmaker Dr. Steven Channing and his team, provides a social history of Durham -- focusing on the rich and full history of the Bull City's boom, upheaval, and revitalization, a story so often missed in the oversimplifications of national media coverage these last eighteen months. Friday's premiere screening is sponsored by the Southern Documentary Fund.

The 7:30pm show is already sold out; however, the 9:45pm show has tickets remaining. When I went to get my tickets on Friday, the ticket master behind the glass intoned that the number of seats remaining was something he was not permitted to disclose. Using BCR's ace reporting skills (the seat numbers on our tickets read 255 and 256, and there are 1,014 seats in Fletcher Hall), we're guessing there's plenty of seats for the second show, but expect them to go quickly.

A "special screening" for teachers, students and parents is planned for Sunday, Nov. 18 at 2pm, in keeping with Channing's hope that this film will be used in classrooms as an educational tool. A Q&A session will be held after the screening for student and adult questions about the documentary.

From the reactions I've heard from Durhamites who've been to see previews of the film, it's an event not to be missed. Be sure to check it out.