Unique Student Documentaries to Premier at Arkansas Union Theater

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Four student-produced documentary films will premier at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, at the Arkansas Union Theatre. The students made the films in graduate-level classes taught by two award-winning University of Arkansas journalism professors, Larry Foley and Dale Carpenter, who have collaborated on documentary films for more than 25 years.

Each documentary presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the student filmmakers. The premiere is free and open to students, faculty, staff and the public.

“The undergraduate and graduate students work for two semesters to create their documentaries,” said Foley. “They learned about every aspect of how to make a documentary from initial concept to research, filming, editing and promoting their production. Dale and I are very pleased with the results and think the University will enjoy seeing these films. They cover a wide range of subjects, and each tells a unique story.”

• Bridge to a New Life: the Story of Miss Malen and the Couchsurfers (filmmakers Sarah Moore and Cheryl Sybrant). Synopsis:The filmtakes a look at the lives of homeless young adults, age 18-22, in Northwest Arkansas who are given a second chance in life when they enter Youth Bridge Transitional Living Program, run by the witty, and sometimes exasperated, 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 Colonel 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 University of Arkansas 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 University of Arkansas, Beacon of Hope. The award was presented in Las Vegas. Carpenter recently picked up his fifth Emmy award, his first in the category of editing for Beacon of Hope at the 2008 Mid-America Emmy Gala in St. Louis.