Byron Hurt, documentary filmmaker and SUNY Old Westbury professor, has spent nearly three decades challenging conversations around masculinity, race and power – turning topics that many shy away from into national dialogue. 

Now SUNY Old Westbury students will have the opportunity to hear directly from him at two talks on Monday, March 2. The double period events will feature clips from his films and a discussion about how his storytelling has evolved from his 2006 film, Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes to one of his most recent films, Hazing (2022).

But Hurt’s talk is more than a screening. It is a reflection on a career built around asking difficult questions about masculinity, violence, cultural norms and accountability – especially the ones people often avoid.

“I decided that I was going to use documentary storytelling to explore masculinity, misogyny, gender and homophobia,” Hurt said. 

Hurt did not begin as a trained filmmaker. He graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts with a degree in journalism, not film. His first documentary was created during his senior year of college. 

“I did not go to film school, so I really didn’t know how to make a film,” Hurt said. “I didn’t know how to structure a story. I didn’t know much about cinematic language. I was just kind of learning as I went along.”

That early uncertainty, he said, shaped his growth. Over time, his approach became more intentional and crafted. 

“I put a lot of time into thinking about what my film is going to look like, what it’s going to feel like, how it’s going to be structured, and what I want to leave the audience with,” Hurt said. 

His filmmaking was also deeply influenced by the late filmmaker Marlon Riggs, whose work explored race, gender and sexuality. 

“I often attribute him as being the person who inspired me to become a documentary filmmaker,” Hurt said. “His work transformed me.”

Shortly after graduating, Hurt became involved in the Mentors in Violence Prevention program, a gender violence prevention program founded in 1993 at Northeastern University. That experience helped define the themes that would shape his career.

When Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006, it sparked national discussion. The film examines representations of masculinity within hip hop culture, but Hurt insists it goes beyond music. 

“A lot of people think that my film is a documentary about rap music and hip hop culture,” Hurt said. “But I beg to differ. I believe the film is really about gender. It’s about masculinity in the larger culture.”

Nearly two decades later, Hurt believes the film continues to resonate for a simple reason. 

“The issues are still relevant,” Hurt said. “They still exist.”

In the film, Hurt critiques how Hip Hop and broader American culture often show masculinity with dominance, aggression and emotional suppression. Rather than condemning the genre itself, he challenges audiences to reconsider how narrow definitions of manhood can contribute to violence and gender inequality. 

That ongoing relevance is one reason the film remains screened on college campuses across the country. 

Hurt’s 2022 documentary, Hazing, marked one of the most personal projects of his career. The film examines hazing culture in colleges, including within the Black Greek-letter organizations – communities Hurt himself has been part of. 

“Raising all of the money to get it done was probably the biggest challenge,” Hurt said, noting it was the largest budget he had worked with. 

But funding was not the only obstacle. Addressing his own fraternity experience publicly required courage. 

“It took a lot of courage for me to make the film,” Hurt said. “I still have close relationships with many of my fraternity brothers, and I talk about my own involvement in hazing.”

At the time of the film’s release, openly discussing hazing within the Black Greek organizations was widely considered taboo. In Hazing, Hurt reflects on his own pledging experience and examines some initiation traditions, while framed as bonding, can cause physical and emotional harm. The film does not condemn fraternities as a whole, but questions the culture of silence that can allow dangerous practices to continue.

“I choose stories that I feel have not been adequately addressed,” Hurt said. “I want my films to make a difference. I want my films to make an impact.”

Throughout his career, one of Hurt’s most consistent audiences has been college students. He has screened his films at hundreds of campuses nationwide, engaging in discussion that extends beyond the screen. 

“I’ve screened my work at hundreds and hundreds of colleges across the country,” Hurt said. “That’s where incredible civic dialogue is taking place.” 

He values being challenged by students and hearing their perspectives. 

“To have that kind of engagement with students — to hear their questions, to hear what they’re thinking about — is incredibly fulfilling,” Hurt said. 

For Hurt, storytelling and confronting difficult topics are inseparable. He believes stories have the power to move audiences in ways statistics and lectures cannot.

“Storytelling is extremely powerful,” Hurt said. When you create a story, whether it’s your own or someone else’s — you’re giving people permission to share a piece of themselves. And by doing that, people grow — just get out there and start telling stories.”

Byron Hurt talk and film retrospective. Monday, March 2 from 2:30 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. and again at 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. in the Duane L. Jones Recital Hall in the Campus Center. The event is free and open to the public.