September 15, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Four short films produced by students in a University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) ethnographic filmmaking class have been selected for competition in the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival Sept. 22-24.
Ethnographic research deals with the description of a specific culture or human social phenomenon. Students taking the ethnographic filmmaking course through the UAB Center for Urban Affairs produce documentary films about various communities in Birmingham. The students use the film and ethnographic methods to give viewers a look at cultural diversity through the eyes of others.
The UAB films in competition are:
“Ummah: A Portrait of Muslims in Birmingham” by Mark Hutson [cq] and Jonathan Woolley; at a time when being Muslim in America is a complex proposition, “Ummah” documents Birmingham’s Islamic community.
“Hand in Paw: A Therapy Tail” by Kendall Chew and Emilie Soffe; a portrait of Hand in Paw, Alabama’s first nonprofit organization to provide pet therapy as a tool in medical, social service and educational settings.
“Buenos Aires in Birmingham” by Michael Frederick and Matthew Painter; with immigration in the news, the filmmakers explore the small community of Argentinians living in Birmingham.
“A Foot in Two Worlds: The Echota-Cherokee Tribe” by Sally Smith and Beth Warren looks at the Echota-Cherokee tribe, which encourages Alabamians who have a Native American heritage to relearn and rekindle their traditions.
All four films, along with four others produced by students in the ethnographic filmmaking class will be screened at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Birmingham Museum of Art as part of the festival. They will include:
“The Wishmakers” by Lauren Leach and Kristen Williams; Magic Moments offers children with serious diseases a chance to have a wish granted. The filmmakers follow two families and their wishes.
“Moss Point” by Jason Burgess and Colby Russ documented the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast while on a college service trip to repair houses.
“The Alpha Male” by Jessica Kelley and Wilton Triggs II; the oldest African-American fraternity passes on its traditions to a new generation of men on the UAB campus.
“Refuge: The Alabama Wildlife Center” by Dylan Angeline, Maria Bogomaz and Jeremy Felix documents the passion of the staff and volunteers at The Alabama Wildlife Center as they work to preserve the wilderness in an area that’s being encroached upon by development.
Another UAB student, Alan Franks, who was in the ethnographic filmmaking class in 2004, also has a film in competition this year at the Sidewalk Festival. The film, “She’s a Lady,” examines the history of the Lyric Theatre in Birmingham.
Downloadable Image
To save images from your browser window, follow these directions:
- Windows users: follow the "Download now" link below and then right-click the large image — select "Save picture as ..." from the menu to save the image to your local computer.
- Macintosh users: follow the "Download now" link below and then control-click (hold down control while clicking) the large image — select "Download Image to Disk" to save the image to your local computer.
 | Image Size: |
