UA Filmmaker Awarded Media Arts Fellowship

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nick Corrao, an instructor in telecommunication and film at The University of Alabama, has been awarded a Fellowship in Media Arts from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

The fellowship includes a $5,000 grant awarded to Corrao for his “important works of art and valuable contributions to the entire state,” according to a release from ASCA.

Corrao will use the grant money to work on his feature documentary project, “An Unspoken Law,” and other ongoing projects.

“This award will help me build a foundation for the film in terms of raising funds, building an audience, getting feedback,” Corrao said. “I’ve been working on this for five years and shooting with the main character for three. Now we’re ready to start post-production. This type of award, and the connections that come with it, really helps.”

“An Unspoken Law” is a full-length feature documentary about a child molestation survivor who turned into an unlikely advocate for reforming child pornography possession laws.

The film follows Gail Colletta, who began protesting the laws after her 21-year-old son was handed a 10-year prison sentence for a one-time, spontaneous torrent search.

Through her work, she hopes to encourage lawmakers to reevaluate laws related to sex offenders and child pornography possession, to ensure that the punishment fits the crime.

“I’m interested in strong character narratives and unusual sociopolitical situations,” Corrao said. “I become creatively invigorated working with engaging characters in the middle of an inherently divisive fight.

“This is my way to make an issue approachable, by intimately exploring the experience of those involved in order to understand it. ‘An Unspoken Law’ will reflect this.”