Posted on October 31, 2002 at 4:45 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Two short documentary films produced by five students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) won top prizes at the Internet2 Fall 2002 Digital Film Festival. The winners were announced Oct. 30 during a live netcast from Los Angeles via high-speed Internet2.

Anthropology students David Gaithings, 30, a graduate student from Southside; Corine Sinnette, 21, a junior from Trinidad; and social work student Emily Simon, 20, of Vestavia, won for their film, “House of Prayer,” which told the story of how Southside Baptist Church and Temple Emanu-El came to share the same building for their worship services. Anthropology students Brittney Pietrzak, 23, a senior from Huntsville and Val Bowden, 25, a junior from Port Charlotte, Fla., also won for their documentary, “Wounded,” which is an examination of body piercing. Six other films produced by UAB students were among the finalists.

Internet2 is a consortium of nearly 200 research universities that work with industry and government to develop and implement advanced network capabilities and facilitate revolutionary Internet applications. Support for UAB and other universities’ connection to Internet2 includes nearly $2.25 million in funding received from the NSF since 1998.

Internet2 hosted the Digital Film Festival in conjunction with its Fall 2002 member meeting in Los Angeles. The film festival was held to demonstrate Internet2 capabilities in delivering digital film.

The UAB students produced their films for a class called “Ethnographic Filmmaking,” which teaches students how to use film and video to document and analyze aspects of human social life. The class is team taught by Rosie O’Beirne, research associate in the UAB Center for Urban Affairs; assistant professor of anthropology Lori Cormier, Ph.D.; chairman of the Department of Art, Janice Kluge, MFA; and award-winning independent filmmaker Michele Forman.