Posted on September 22, 2004 at 10:55 a.m.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Eight short films made by 16 University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) students will debut during a screening noon to 1 p.m., Saturday, September 25, at the McWane Center, 200 19th Street North, as part of the 2004 Digital City Films Series, sponsored in partnership by the UAB Center for Urban Affairs and the McWane Center. The event is free and open to the public. Call the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival box office at (205) 324-0888 for more details.
The students made their films as part of a course, ethnographic filmmaking, offered jointly by the anthropology and art departments, the UAB Honors Program, and the UAB Center for Urban Affairs. One of the featured films in the series, “Benching: The Art of Watching Trains,” has been selected for competition in Birmingham’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival on Saturday, September 25. The six-minute film will be shown at a screening in the Shorts Block No. 4, in the documentary category of the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, September 25, at the McWane Center.
“Benching” was made by Bo Hughins, 23, and Neil Kirkpatrick, 24, both of Birmingham, and is about local benchers or train spotters who look for graffiti on trains and talk about their favorite spot, the Birmingham railroad corridor.
In addition to “Benching,” the Digital City Film Series will feature the following:
“The Magic City’s Clowns,” by Lindsay Mouyal and Jen Pouyadou (6 minutes) — A school for clowns teaches new skills to entertain and minister to the sick.
“Growing up at Home,” by Jacqueline Homm and Leslie Lambert (7 minutes) — A Hoover little league team, their coaches and their parents learn a little about baseball and a lot about playing together.
“A Separate Place,” by Alan Barton and Christina Cooley (5 minutes) — A family explains why they home school and how they work together with other home schooling families through their church.
“Meet Me at the Alabama,” by Alan Franks and Ginny Humber (8 minutes) — A dedicated group of Alabama Theater staff and volunteers describe how they saved the movie palace and why historic buildings matter.
“A Tribal Fusion,” by Stephanie Kahalley and Lesley Wheatley (9 minutes) — Belly dancing, while perhaps not a traditional Southern dance form, is flourishing in Birmingham.
“Abraham’s Bosom,” by Marcia DeFiore and Charles Kelley (8 minutes) — A faith-based ghost hunting group hunts for ghosts in the Birmingham area, explaining what they find and what they think it means.
“The Big Six,” by Rachel Corona and Miles Keith (8 minutes) — A local hip-hop group is struggling to make their music and get noticed.