UA Documenting Justice Director Selected for SXSW Presentation

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Andrew Grace, director of The University of Alabama’s Documenting Justice, will co-lead a session on interactive documentary filmmaking at the 2015 South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival.

Grace, a lecturer in the UA telecommunication and film department, will discuss projects he has done through his production company, Moon Winx Films, in the Digital Domain session called “Tool-Kit for Crafting an Interactive Documentary,” scheduled for March 17-21.

Grace and his co-panelists will use “After the Storm,” which documents his neighborhood’s rebuilding process after the April 27, 2011 tornado in Tuscaloosa, to discuss how an interactive documentary is developed from start to finish.

“Interactive documentaries are a new form of nonfiction media making, and it’s still very much an emerging field of storytelling,” Grace said.

Dr. William Evans, interim chair of the telecommunication and film department, said the festival’s invitation is evidence that Grace is emerging as a nationally-recognized pioneer in nonfiction storytelling.

“Andy’s documentary work has always been highly acclaimed, even when he has worked with more traditional documentary formats,” Evans said. “One of the TCF department’s aims is to be situated at the forefront of innovation in nonfiction storytelling.”

Dr. Mark Nelson, dean of the College of Communication and Information Sciences, said Grace’s invitation was not only great publicity for the professor’s work but also shines a national spotlight on the College and the University.

“We are proud that Andy has been selected for this highly competitive honor that recognizes his talent and commitment to storytelling through documentary filmmaking,” Nelson said.

For information about “After the Storm,” visit the official website.

Documenting Justice is a two-semester anthropological documentary filmmaking course open to students of all majors, focusing on issues of justice and injustice.