In June of 2024, Rough Draft Atlanta spoke with a group of local Doraville women looking to make a documentary about their hometown. Almost exactly a year later, “Made in Doraville” played at the Tara Theatre on June 21 to a bustling crowd.
“We’ve said from the very beginning, if our family and friends find joy in this, then we’re successful,” said Karen Ketchum, one of the producers of the film. “Of course, if somebody picks it up and turns it into something bigger, that would be amazing. But we really did this for our people and the people of Doraville.”
The film, which runs at about 40 minutes long, covers a number of Doraville’s historical events, from a refinery fire in the 1970s to the closure of the town’s General Motors plant in 2008. But what the film really investigates is just what Ketchum said: the people of Doraville and their strength.
Ketchum and two other Doraville residents, Lisa Edmondson and Caroline Camick, form the driving force behind the documentary. When they last spoke to Rough Draft Atlanta a year ago, they were gearing up to host a 5K to help raise money for the film. The race was in honor of the late Chuck Singleton, the physical education teacher at the elementary school that Ketchum and Camick attended.
After the 5K, it was off to the races.
“It happened very quickly after that,” Edmondson said. “Once we realized the budget we were working with … we were able to get a film crew.”
Making and promoting a documentary isn’t easy work. All three women faced plenty of challenges throughout the process. Camick said that while the documentary was originally supposed to be about 20 minutes long, she kept wanting to add more footage.
“I wanted so badly to be able to reach as many different people … [as possible],” Camick said. “From the feedback I’ve gotten, from after the private viewing, everyone has felt like they were represented.”
Even still, there never seemed to be enough room for everything the filmmakers wanted to share. Despite including sequences about events such as the GM plant closure, Edmondson said she wished they could have lent more time to some of Doraville’s darker history. In honor of this lack, the film ends by paying homage to the memory of Anita Redmond, Doraville’s first female police officer. Redmond was killed in a robbery in 2005, and the case still remains unsolved.
“We would have liked more time to talk about the not-so-happy side of being raised in Doraville,” Edmondson said. “Like any hometown, there’s good and bad.”
The documentary includes an original song called “Dear Doraville,” written by Edmondson and composed by Jeff Clein and Joel Stewart. But Ketchum said one of the most challenging parts for her was securing the rights to a different song that would help hold the documentary together: “Doraville” by the Atlanta Rhythm Section – a southern rock band hailing from the city itself.
“The thing that took us the longest was getting the rights to the song ‘Doraville,’” Ketchum said. “We learned that we had to buy both the lyrics, which are owned by Concord Music Group, and separate from that is the actual recording by Atlanta Rhythm Section, which is owned by Universal.”
Ketchum said while the filmmakers have agreements in place to use “Doraville” in the film, they’re still trying to finalize the paperwork.
The song isn’t the only part of Atlanta Rhythm Section that makes an appearance in “Made in Doraville.” Lead singer Rodney Justo also sat down for an interview.
Camick was intent on making sure that the documentary had good interviews throughout. When she originally contacted Atlanta Rhythm Section, she talked to a member of the band who wasn’t comfortable doing a filmed interview. But he knew that Justo would be into it.
“[Justo] has been so gracious with his time with me,” Camick said. “I text him all the time. I texted him after the private viewing, and he was so excited!”
She had reason to be excited. The turnout at the Tara on June 21 was far more than any of the women expected. At one point, Ketchum remembered Edmondson leaning over and whispering in her ear: “It’s happening!’
Before the screening, Doraville Mayor Joseph Geierman honored the three women by declaring June 21 to be “Made in Doraville” Day.
“To recognize all the work that went into this – I mean, it’s so much bigger than the three of us,” Ketchum said. “There were so many people that played different roles and made it happen. So to have [the mayor] recognize all the work that’s been put into this and have a ‘Made in Doraville’ Day was pretty special.”
The filmmakers have “Made in Doraville” to numerous festivals. No other screenings have been announced yet, but according to a press release, the documentary will be screened at other community events in 2025.
