HIGH POINT — The High Point Market could be coming to a screen near you.
The High Point Market Authority is working with Winston-Salem, N.C.-based University of North Carolina School of the Arts to create a documentary film about the twice-annual home furnishings showcase.
It’s been a topic of internal discussion for some time in the HPMA offices, which led Ben Muller, vice president of marketing and communications, to explore what might need to happen to make it a reality.
“Within our staff, even before I came, we had bantered about this being such a unique event and that there are so many great stories,” Muller told Furniture Today. “There have been internal talks within our organization for years. We’ve got a great School of Arts in Winston-Salem, and there are lots of documentary filmmakers who have come through, so I thought it would be an untapped resource.”
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To get the ball rolling, Muller reached out to Deborah LaVine, an award-winning filmmaker and the dean of UNCSA’s school of filmmaking. LaVine helped Muller refine the vision into something longform and narrative vs. something promotional.
“Initially, my thought was we would use currently enrolled students at UNCSA. Because Ben is so generous about filmmakers wanting to find the point of view and way into the story, it means we want filmmakers who can dedicate the time for research, meeting people from the market, craft makers and artisans and to be able to wholly invest in making this film,” LaVine said. “It became clear to me our current students, with the academic rigor they’re enrolled in, would not have time for that. They can be helpful as crew members and people facilitating production.”
LaVine said the opportunity to tell the market’s story could set the table for the young filmmaker’s career.
“I think it’s great for the filmmaker because they’re in this interesting, nascent part of their career, and it will be a strong film for their portfolio and a nice piece of material to celebrate North Carolina’s legacy,” she said.
And although LaVine has only been a part-time North Carolina resident for the past four years, she’s long known about High Point Market and believes the eventual filmmaker will have more than enough good content available.
“I’ve known about the market forever, even though I’ve been in North Carolina for four years. Anybody who cares about furnishings and design, you know about it,” LaVine said. “I’ve been to High Point, and it’s remarkable to me: The city is a character unto itself, and the story of how it blossoms and goes into a hibernation and then blossoms again. That rhythm and cadence is fascinating.
“I also think there’s stories of people who, for generations, have made North Carolina a destination for beautiful pieces. I think the filmmaker is going to have multiple stories to tell, and it will be an act to edit rather than make something up.”
Muller said LaVine, UNCSA students and the filmmaker will visit October’s market to get the lay of the land and to better understand the market’s scope. Most filming will take place during the April 2026 market, with the finished product anticipated in time for the October 2026 market.
“We’re both two North Carolina entities that can work together to produce something great to highlight how wonderful this event is for the state,” Muller said. “It’s a nice collaboration. It’s such a wonderful, unique event. It brings these two North Carolina entities to the forefront, and we thought it would be a wonderful partnership.”
