Filmmakers

Ashley Melzer is a filmmaker, writer, and producer based in Durham, North Carolina. She studied cinematic arts at the University of Southern California and earned a master’s degree in folklore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She directed and wrote Okay, Mr. Ray! (2024), working with producer William R. Ferris to tell the story of Mississippi mule trader Ray Lum through previously unseen footage from Ferris’s collection. Melzer also produced You Gave Me a Song, a documentary about old-time and bluegrass musician Alice Gerrard.