UAB Media Studies students work in partnership with community members in the Greater Birmingham area to share stories about their lives and experiences.
Disclaimer: The films presented here are the work of a student or students enrolled in an ethnographic filmmaking course at UAB. The subject of the film and any views expressed in the film are solely the work of student(s) and are neither endorsed by nor represent the views of UAB.
Also available in the UAB Libraries Digital Collections.
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What Brings You In Today?
Tyler Huang, Garrett Jebeles, and Kevin Lee
Duration: 8:57
Current clinicians discuss narrative medicine and the rewards and challenges of treating the whole person in today’s health system
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Common Threads
Anna Khan and Anna Siddiq
Duration: 10:00
The Birmingham Islamic community aims to build bridges across religious and cultural lines at a time of great political polarization.
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Ensley Is Alive
James Clay and Kelley Jiang
Duration: 9:23
The arts are leading the revival in the former steel community of Ensley, Alabama.
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Firehouse
Betserai Ashanti, Terry Gentry, and Zachary Rogers
Duration: 9:37
The DIY music scene in Birmingham is thriving despite the odds, offering creative outlets and safe spaces for emerging artists.
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History for Lease
Jacob Pinkerton and Paige Sandheinrich
Duration: 9:07
Birmingham is rich in historic buildings and preserving them adds to the beauty and prosperity of the city, but the Historic Tax Credits that fuel the boom are in jeopardy
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Hold to your Dream
Krishna Shah and Parita Sutaria
Duration: 7:31
The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham fosters opportunities to lift women out of poverty and into higher-wage careers.
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Trying to Make It
Gentry Patterson and Jordynn Wright
Duration: 9:56
High-interest payday loans and title loans can trap families in debt. Alabama lags its neighbor states in the consumer protections for the industry, and many advocates are trying to change that.
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Viva Science!
Gavin Gilliland, Ryan Murphy, and Madison Pruett
Duration: 8:47
Science education in Alabama high schools depends on resources that face major funding threats from the state at a time when nationally science itself has become a source of controversy.
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Blocked
Amber Pope and Suzanna Swanson
Duration: 8:47
Birmingham’s historic Fountain Heights neighborhood fights against a new highway plan that will further divide it from the rest of the city.
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Company Town
Amir Ahmed and Gina Sherman
Duration: 9:23
Globalization makes a big local impact on the city of Fairfield. When U.S. Steel closed its doors, workers were left jobless and a community struggles to meet the needs of citizens.
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Design for Everyone
Benjamin Johnson and David Love
Duration: 9:03
Birmingham-based designers partner with Lakeshore Foundation to create innovative fitness equipment for the old and young, those living with and without disabilties.
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Seeking Shelter
Ashley DeSouza and Ericka DeSouza
Duration: 11:10
A young mother shares her struggles with homelessness in Birmingham. Community leaders point to a broader picture and analyze why Alabama is lacking adequate resources that help the homeless community.
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The Acceptance Part
LaCoriya Ford and Rebecca Sylvester
Duration: 10:13
The young LGBT community all too often faces rejection from loved ones and bullying and violence from others, but there is a supportive community in Birmingham at the Magic City Acceptance Center.
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Vitalize
Spencer Portis and Lauren Smith
Duration: 8:20
The Avondale neighborhood is experiencing a boom in bars, restaurants, and businesses, prompting some to ask if this is gentrification?
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Wildfire
Sonya Mitchell and Jonathan Nilsen
Duration: 12:09
Digging beneath the local news headlines, this film examines the root causes of youth violence, the devastating impact on a family, and the work of Growing Kings to change the story.
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100 Houses
Ali Simpson and Melissa Thomas
Duration: 8:04
Birmingham’s historic Norwood neighborhood looks for homeowners interested in rehabilitating the beautiful older homes and rediscovering an old-fashioned community of close-knit neighbors
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10-4 Birmingham
Piyush Borse and Karan Jani
Duration: 9:33
Birmingham’s Police Department had to make a radical institutional change after the 1960s, serving as a national model for community policing
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4th Down
Kourtney Cowart and Michael Shikany
Duration: 11:56
The UAB campus reacts to the termination of the UAB football program and hopes for its reinstatement
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A Drop of Hope
Ben Jones and Jacquie Pearlstein
Duration: 8:36
Cannabis oil holds promise as a therapy for epileptic seizures, but it took a family’s legislative fight to make it legal for medical researchers at UAB to test its effectiveness
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Don't Bully Me
Joe Jablonsky and Morgan Walston
Duration: 8:31
Breed Specific Legislation singles out Pitbulls as dangerous dogs, but will this approach really reduce dogfighting and dog attacks?
