UAB Student Films in Sidewalk Festival Examine Uninsured Artists, Hindu Prayer, Sex Education

Local artists struggling to find decent health care and a woman overcoming homelessness are among the topics examined in seven short films produced by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) students that will be screened at the 11th annual Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Local artists struggling to find decent health care and a woman overcoming homelessness are among the topics examined in seven short films produced by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) students that will be screened at the 11th annual Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, 520 16th St. South. For ticket information, visit http://www.sidewalkfest.com/.

The films include "A Pound of Debt: Insurance and the Arts," by UAB students Nadria Tucker and Catherine Wright. This film examines the lives of local artists dealing the perils of having inadequate health-care coverage. The run time is 8 minutes, 11 seconds. Watch a clip of the film here and here.

The students produced the films for an ethnographic filmmaking course that is offered jointly by the UAB Digital Community Studies Program, the UAB School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the University Honors Program.

The six other UAB films include:

  • "All for Prayer," by Brad Daly, which tells the story of a Hindu temple in Pelham. (Run time: 8 minutes, 26 seconds)
  • "One of 3,000: The Janet Gillespie Story," by Morgan Anders and Thomas Wood, a portrait of a local woman who triumphed over homelessness. (Run time: 9 minutes, 40 seconds)
  • "Road to Recovery: Living With Mental Illness," by Jeralyn Powell and Autumn Stockwell, which tells the story of Birmingham residents who are coping with mental illness. (Run time: 9 minutes, 21 seconds) Watch a clip of the film here and here.
  • "Get Rhythm," by Doug Franks, Anna Lloyd and Patty Wang, which tells the story of one group using music to improve the quality of life for people, from preschoolers to the elderly. (Run time: 8 minutes, 29 seconds) Watch a clip of the film here.
  • "One Closed Door After Another: Domestic Partner Benefits and UAB," by Jade Delisle, an examination of a group of UAB employees pursuing domestic partner benefits. (Run time: 9 minutes, 18 seconds)
  • "What You Don't Know Can Hurt You: Sex Education in Alabama," by Jennifer Baggett and Ashley Davis, an examination of abstinence-only versus comprehensive sex education. (Run time: 8 minutes, 34 seconds)

About the UAB Digital Community Studies Program

The UAB Digital Community Studies Program, housed in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, is an interdisciplinary program in which students use new media technology to conduct original research in local communities and produce professional-quality films, Web sites and podcasts. Students have opportunities for hands-on service learning and internship experiences in local communities. Films created through the program are accessible on the UAB Mervyn H. Sterne Library Web site in the Ethnographic Filmmaking Collection at http://contentdm.mhsl.uab.edu/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=%2FFILM.

 

Clip 1 from "A Pound of Debt: Insurance and the Arts"

 

Clip 2 from "A Pound of Debt: Insurance and the Arts"

 

Clip from "Get Rhythm"

 

Clip 1 from "Road to Recovery: Living With Mental Illness"

 

Clip 2 from "Road to Recovery: Living With Mental Illness"