Buller to speak on filmmaking at CMBS dinner

Burton Buller, documentary filmmaker from Massanutten, Va., will be the keynote speaker at the annual spring dinner meeting of the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies on the Tabor College campus.

The dinner meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, May 4, in the Franz Heritage Room in the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts. The cost for this event is $18. A scholarship fund is available for current Tabor College students who wish to attend the dinner at no charge.

Buller’s topic will be, “Being a Mennonite Filmmaker in America.” A pioneer in this communication field, Buller has described himself as “a Mennonite interested in film production at a time when no one was even considering such possibilities.”

A native of Henderson, Neb., and a graduate of Tabor College, Buller earned a degree in Humanities and Education with an emphasis in English and Journalism. He went on to earn a M.A. from the University of Nebraska, where he studied broadcast Journalism.

Buller is the managing partner in Buller Films LLC, a family-owned agency producing documentaries for broadcast release.

His filmography of nearly 70 films includes: “The Hutterites: To Care and Not to Care;” “Journey Toward Forgiveness;” “The Amish: A People of Preservation;” “Waging Peace: Muslim and Christian Alternative;” and “The Persistence of Community.”

During the day, CMBS is providing a Heritage Tour from 11:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. The tour will begin at the Historic Church on the Tabor campus. The theme for the tour itinerary is “Cross-cultural Intersections: Dr. C.A. Flippin and the German Mennonites.”

Multiple historic sites related to the prominent African-American doctor and the German immigrants in this area will be included on the tour: Gnadenau, Ebenfeld, Peabody, Alexanderwohl, Brudertal, Hillsboro Main Street and various farmsteads.

The cost of the tour is $35 and includes a light faspa lunch and brief program. Reservations for one or both events are due April 29. For additional information, contact Peggy Goertzen at peggyg@tabor.edu or 620-947-3121, ext. 1211 or 1212.