UA Hosts Oscar Nominees at Third Annual Black Warrior Film Festival

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The third annual Black Warrior Film Festival takes place Feb. 13- 15 on The University of Alabama campus and in downtown Tuscaloosa, showcasing student films from across the Southeast and those of award-winning industry professionals.

The three-day event is free and open to the public.

Through screenings and workshop events, the festival celebrates the work of award-winning filmmakers Tom Heller, Ya’Ke Smith and Margaret Brown, as they all share their films and perspectives with the UA community. Last year’s featured filmmaker, Ava DuVernay, received multiple Golden Globe and Oscar nomination for the recent film “Selma.”

Tom Heller served as executive producer of the 2014 Oscar-nominated picture “Foxcatcher,” in addition to other critically acclaimed films, such as “127 Hours,” as well as the coming-of-age drama “Mud,” which will be featured at this year’s festival. Heller will personally introduce the film at the finale event at the Bama Theatre, Sunday, Feb. 15, with the screening set to begin at 4 p.m. and an awards ceremony to immediately follow.

The festival will kick off Friday, Feb. 13, at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center at 7 p.m. with a spotlight on featured filmmaker Ya’Ke Smith. Smith is an award-winning filmmaker whose films have screened and won awards at more than 80 film festivals worldwide. Smith’s newest short, “dawn.”, will premiere in February on HBO and is one of the selected works he said he will be sharing with festivalgoers.

“The work I’ll present will arrest you with the truth, move you to action and hopefully force you to look at yourself and the larger world with more complexity,” Smith said. “If I leave the university community with nothing else, my goal is to leave them knowing that art not only imitates life, but art birthed from the soul can change lives.”

Students’ work will be showcased in multiple screening blocks throughout Saturday, Feb. 14, at The Ferguson Center Theater on the UA campus. Universities represented include Duke University, Florida State University, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Alabama. Categories of accepted films include narrative, documentary, music video and experimental.

Filmmaker Margaret Brown will present her award-winning documentary “The Great Invisible” at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at The Ferguson Center Theater and interact with audience members in a Q&A following the screening. Brown recently won the 2014 SXSW Documentary Competition’s Grand Jury Prize for her film.

The executive staff of Birmingham’s Sidewalk Film Festival comprise the feature panel event, taking place Saturday, Feb. 14, at 11 a.m. in The Ferguson Center. Later that evening, the festival presents a screening of the indie hit “Juno” at The Ferguson Center Theater, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day. The 2007 Academy Award nominee for Best Picture will begin at 7 p.m.

Each featured filmmaker hosts either a lecture or workshop throughout the festival weekend. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit www.blackwarriorfilmfest.com. All events are open to students and community members alike.

Dr. Rachel Raimist, co-director of Creative Campus and assistant professor in UA’s department of telecommunication and film, said the Black Warrior Film Festival is an opportunity for student filmmakers to connect with people in the industry and make a positive impact on the Tuscaloosa community.

“The festival gives filmmakers from all over the region the opportunity to share their work with an audience and provides the ability for talented students to connect with each other,” Raimist said. “Black Warrior brings the Tuscaloosa community a rich and culturally diverse event to attend that celebrates the talent of young storytellers and artists.”

The Black Warrior Film Festival is possible through partnerships with Creative Campus, the College of Communication and Information Sciences, the department of telecommunication and film, Honors College, New College, Rocky Heights Printing, The Source, The University of Alabama Student Government Association and University Programs.

The festival’s mission is to provide a cultural experience for student filmmakers and community members alike. Established in 2013, its competitive showcase of student films highlights emerging talent from universities across the Southeast through community-wide screenings, events, workshops and featured guests.

The annual event at The University of Alabama is produced for students, by students and seeks to celebrate the work of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as provide an opportunity to enrich The University of Alabama and Tuscaloosa communities through the art of filmmaking. All festival events are free and open to the public.