Family Tragedy Is The Focus Of Several Film Festival Selections

Feb. 28, 2011

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@una.edu, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

FLORENCE, Ala. - Four films screening at this year's George Lindsey UNA Film Festival explore the theme of family tragedy. Matt Irvine's "Scott's Dead" follows the story of two brothers reuniting under difficult circumstances. Starring Jasper, Ala., native Michael Rooker ("Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer," "Slither," "Walking Dead"), the film is a product of DePaul University's Project Bluelight, created to give students the opportunity to work with industry professionals. "Atrophy," by director Derek Carter, also examines a reunion, one between a father who embraces his solitude and his estranged son, who appears looking for "absolution from tragedy." "Atrophy" was made as Carter's graduate thesis project for the Savannah College of Art and Design. Both "Controlled Burn" and "The Desperate" examine the difficult choices family members must make to protect the ones they love. In Dan Van Wert's "Controlled Burn," a wife whose husband suffers from Alzheimer's Disease must make a decision about his right to die. Iranian-born director Ben Hur Sepehr's "The Desperate" tells the story of a Nazi general who must turn to a condemned Jewish doctor to save his son. Awarded Best Short Film at the Hollywood Film Festival, "The Desperate" was made through Sepehr's non-profit organization, Tolerance Through Knowledge, a film company to make short films, feature films, documentaries and educational films with a purpose. All George Lindsey UNA Film Festival screenings will be at the Zodiac Theatre, 416 N. Court Street in Florence. Screenings are free and open to the public. The 14th annual George Lindsey UNA Film Festival will be March 3-5. It is one of the few film festivals hosted by a university. The event was founded in 1998 in part by UNA alumnus and celebrated actor and entertainer George Lindsey. Lindsey's own film career has included several important roles, including the character Goober Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show." For more information on the 2011 George Lindsey UNA Film Festival, visit www.lindseyfilmfest.com, or contact the film festival staff at lindseyfilmfest@una.edu or 256-765-4592.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering credential, certificate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs in the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. The first-choice University for more than 10,000 on-campus and online students, UNA is on a bucolic campus in Florence, Alabama, part of the historic and vibrant Shoals region. Lions Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I’s ASUN Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/