Students showcase films at Reel Stories Film Festival

Soul Searchin’ Nights, by James Price and Jerome Manley, chronicles the rise of the Soul Bar (above).

As documentaries such as Fahrenheit 911 and Fog of War highlight the art of documentaries, senior television/cinema students will showcase their own non-fiction films at the second annual Reel Stories Film Festival. The screening will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 15, at the Morris Museum of Art, One 10th St.

“The festival features the best senior projects from students in the TV/cinema major,” says Rick Pukis, assistant professor of communications. “Two awards—Best Film and Audience Favorite—will also be given.”            

The Reel Stories are four senior film projects that are either personal stories or community interest pieces. They include The Television & Cinema Track: A Glimpse Inside, a piece by Andy Allen that depicts the demands and rewards of filmmaking at ASU. The film includes personal interviews with students in the program and with advisory board members from local TV stations WRDW, FOX 54, and WAGT.

Russian-born Polina Yemelyanova takes viewers to an orphanage in Skytyvar, Russia, in her film, A Place to Call Home. In it she tells the story of one woman’s passion to secure homes for Russia’s forgotten children.

Tanika Mason’s Mommy Management: Single and Surviving races through the day of a determined single mom as she cares for her child, manages a career, and attends college.

Soul Searchin’ Nights, by James Price and Jerome Manley, vividly chronicles the rise of the popular local Soul Bar. With interviews from Richmond County Commissioner Tommy Boyles, Curtis Baptist Church Pastor Mark Harris, and local artist Jay Jacobs, this fast-paced film also features footage of First Friday celebrations.

“The students chose socially significant issues for their projects,” Professor Pukis says. “Professor Stevan Clements and I chose to show one on the Soul Bar this year because it is instrumental to the renaissance of downtown Augusta.”

Audience members will have the chance to meet the filmmakers at 8 p.m. The film festival is free. For more information, contact Professor Pukis in ASU’s Department of Languages, Literature, and Communications, at 737-1500.

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