Prom

Directed by Martin Bell

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.