Written by: Tiffany Westry
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Seven short documentary films by students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham will be showing at the 2018 Sidewalk Film Festival in downtown Birmingham, Aug. 20-26.
The films were created by students in the UAB Media Studies Program. It is the highest number of films directed by students in the program to be accepted to the festival in a single year.
Saturday, Aug. 25
Showtime:12:35-2:12 p.m.
Category: Alabama Documentary Shorts II
Film: “Riders: The Stories Behind the Rescues,” directed by Rubayet Kamal and Vivek Singh, follows Birmingham’s Fire Station #2, an active station on the city’s Southside as firefighters share the calls that stay with them.
Length: 11 minutes
Film: “We Are Southtown,” directed by John Aiken and Hannah Bae, follows residents of Southtown Public Housing who are concerned about what will happen to them as the valuable land they live on is redeveloped.
Length: 9 minutes
Film: “*Quiet Please,” directed by UAB alumna Ingrid Pfau, highlights goalball, a tough, fierce and powerful sport designed for athletes with visual impairments. The film is a story of friendship and sport told through players from Birmingham, Alabama.
Length: 19 minutes
Saturday, Aug. 25
Showtime: 3:30 p.m.
Category: Alabama Documentary Shorts I
Film: “The Journey of the Kings,” directed by Abayomi Mason-Robinson and Dawson Miles, highlights the nonprofit Growing Kings, which specializes in mentoring African-American boys and teens through school and afterschool programs.
Length: 10 minutes
Film: “Connections of Cos-Playing,” directed by David Love, dives into the world of cos-play and prop making, following several people who have made cos-play more than just a fun hobby and into a community.
Length: 12 minutes
Sunday, Aug. 26
Showtime: 6:45 p.m.
Category: Environmental Shorts sponsored by Wild & Scenic Film Festival
Film: “Sustained,” directed by Jackson Ross and Savannah Snowden, features portraits of environmentally sustainable practices in education, art and business.
Length: 10 minutes
Film: “For the Love of the Reef,” directed by Alan Franks, a UAB alumnus and assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies, features author and historian Iain McCalman as he shares his love for the Great Barrier Reef in the hopes that his passion will spur people to care about the reef’s protection.
Length: 7 minutes
The Media Studies Program is housed in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences Department of History. For more information and a complete schedule, visit the Sidewalk Film Festival website.