Shorts: Alabama Documentary
Beyond the Surface
Directed by William Green
9:33 • United States
Explore the importance of fungi in Earth’s ecosystem through the lens of foragers, mycologists and vendors.
They Never Left: Indigenous Return and Reclamation in the Southeast
Directed by Quinn C. Smith
17:31 • United States
Some Indigenous people were never forced to leave what is now known as Alabama, and many across the continent are still intimately connected to their sacred homelands. Meet three Indigenous people who are answering their ancestor’s prayers to reclaim traditional lifeways and protect the environment.
In Solidarity
Directed by Tyler Jones
15:34 • United States
On the morning of April 28, 1958, a bag of dynamite was discovered at Temple Beth-El in Birmingham, Alabama, during a series of attacks on Jewish institutions across the South. The bomb’s fuse stopped one minute short of detonating, but it set off a ripple effect through the community that impacted how many responded to the Civil Rights Movement.
Swayne for 55
Directed by Andrew Johnston
9:37 • United States
Sylvia Swayne runs for Alabama State House Representative for District 55, making her the first transgender person to run for office in the state of Alabama.
Joe & Deb: Sharing Love through Food
Directed by Anissa Latham
5:26 • United States
Joseph and Deborah Henderson share the story behind how they shared love through food with the Birmingham community for over 40 years.
Monograph: Roscoe Hall
Directed by J. Whitson
8:19 • United States
Literally raised in the shadow of Alabama BBQ institution, Dreamland, Roscoe Hall set out to travel the country and learn from the best chefs in the best restaurants — all while honing his artistic vision. Returning to Alabama in the 2000s, Roscoe dug into his Alabama roots and his own history to create paintings now featured in galleries around the world.
A Nation Within
Directed by Nichole Thompson, Robert Thompson & Meredith Lilly
24:28 • United States
Less than 16 years after the end of slavery, the Black community of Tuskegee, Alabama, started an initiative to educate an improvised community of recently emancipated slaves. This is the story of how a community came together under the leadership of Booker T. Washington to embark on a unique experiment in self-determination and economic freedom.
Monograph: Charles Smith
Directed by Matt Whitson
6:47 • United States
Ceramic artist Charles Smith of Mobile, Alabama, has a lot to say. His Afrocentric sculptures and art help tell the real story of Alabama’s Gulf Coast, going back centuries to honor the ghosts of the past.