Student documentaries to premiere Monday at Arkansas Union Theater
Posted on Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Four student-produced documentary films will premiere at 6 p. m. Monday in the Arkansas Union Theater.
The students made the films in graduate-level classes taught by two award-winning University of Arkansas journalism professors, Larry Foley and Dale Carpenter.
Each documentary presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the student filmmakers. The premiere is free and open to everyone.
The documentaries include the following:
• “ Bridge to a New Life: the Story of Miss Malen and the Couchsurfers ” (filmmakers Sarah Moore and Cheryl Sybrant ). Synopsis: The film takes a look at the lives of homeless young adults, ages 18-22, in Northwest Arkansas who are given a second chance in life when they enter Youth Bridge Transitional Living Program, run by Miss Malen Gardner.
• “ Dogpatch USA ” (filmmakers Dixie Kline and Matthew Rowe ). Synopsis: Arkansas built a theme park around Al Capp’s popular comic strip, “ Lil’ Abner, ” in the heart of the Ozarks. In spite of warning signs that it might fail, Dogpatch USA entertained a generation of people. A mountain of challenges finally crushed the park, but its ghost is still hanging around.
• “ KURM RADIO: The Soapbox of the Air” (filmmakers Kelly Millar, Hayot Tuychiev and Nikki Wise ). Synopsis: There are only a handful of independent radio stations left in the United States. The film follows Col. Kermit Womack and his staff as they show just how much a day at KURM radio differs from the average conglomerate programming.
• “ What Can Happen in Three Weeks ” (filmmakers Kevin Estes and Michelle Conty-deGroat ). Synopsis: Each semester, the UA hosts approximately 20 Japanese students from Shimane University for an intensive crash course in American language and culture. The film documents the Japanese students and their experiences.
In April, Foley and Carpenter received the Best of Festival Award from the Broadcast Education Association for their documentary about the UA, “ Beacon of Hope. ” The award was presented in Las Vegas. Carpenter’s Emmy for “ Beacon of Hope” at the 2008 Mid-America Emmy Gala in St. Louis was his fifth Emmy award, his first in the category of editing.
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