April 29, 2010
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Hunger in Alabama, a sports program for the visually impaired and the secret lives of beekeepers are among the topics featured in eight short documentary films that will debut at "Digital City" Thursday, May 6 at 7 p.m. at the McWane Center, IMAX Theatre, 200 19th St. North. Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is free. Call Michele Forman, M.A., at 205-934-8560 or Rosie O'Beirne M.A., at 205-975-7805, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) for more details.
Fifteen UAB students created the documentaries as part of an ethnographic filmmaking class offered through UAB Digital Community Studies. Ethnographic research deals with the description of a specific culture or human social phenomenon. Students in the course produce short documentaries about people and communities in Birmingham.
The Films
"M.A.D. Skillz Dance Company," by Dawn Coleman of Mason City and Caitlin Chandler of Pinson, tells the story of a nationally award-winning hip-hop dance group for kids and teens that is providing mentorship and guidance to children and teens who otherwise have few opportunities for arts education or after school programs.
"Food Insecurity," by Trae Crain of Clay-Chalkville and Colin Albea of Homewood, examines hunger in Birmingham and a local food pantry that is trying to meet the needs of struggling families.
"Invisible Goals," by Alex Lanier of Madison and Erin Hennessy of Hoover, is a portrait of a sports program for the visually impaired offered by the Lakeshore Foundation that is helping to transform the lives of one group of boys.
"Extraordinary Actors Who Happen to Be ...," by Sarah Johnson and Alyssa Mitchell, both of Huntsville, examines an afterschool theatre program at Alys Stephens Center for Birmingham children who do not have access to arts programs.
"Invisible Jobs," by Brittney Jones of Montgomery and Mallory Messersmith of Cullman, is a portrait of workers most never see - those who clean offices and work spaces.
"Inner City Lacrosse," by UAB graduate student Eddie Lewis of Montgomery, is the story of the only African-American lacrosse team in an all-white Birmingham league competing in a sport usually associated with prep schools and the Ivy League. The film shows how the sport is giving these inner-city high school students the chance to go to college and to change their lives.
"The Secret Life of Beekeepers," by Rebecca Marston of Mobile and Kyle Henderson of Bremen, shows the passion Birmingham area beekeepers have for these unique domesticated creatures that are helping to maintain the health of agricultural crops in Alabama that depend on honeybees.
"The West End Community Garden," by Anna McCown of Springville and Lindsay Whiteaker of Huntsville, features the West End Community Garden that is bringing relief to residents in what some describe as a food desert - a community lacking in grocery stores or access to fresh food, resulting in poor health outcomes.
About UAB Digital Community Studies
The UAB Digital Community Studies minor is an interdisciplinary program in which students gain technical proficiency in new media modes of documentation as well as a solid grounding in the theory, method and practice of community studies. The program is housed in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences.