UNA Logo NEWS.....


University of North Alabama
Office of University Relations

William M. Jarnigan, Director
Tel: 256-765-4225
Fax: 256-765-4812

April 23, 2001

NEW YORK/CALIFORNIA/NORTH CAROLINA/ALABAMA FILM MAKERS
WIN LINDSEY/UNA FILM FESTIVAL GOLDEN LION AWARDS
For release: Immediately

FLORENCE, Ala. - New York, California, North Carolina and Alabama film makers won the Golden Lion best of show awards Saturday night at the 4th annual George Lindsey/University of North Alabama Television and Film Festival, which had drawn entries from nine states and Tanzania.

UNA alumnus Dr. George S. Lindsey, of Nashville, Tennessee, presented the Golden Lion best of show professional award to A Good Baby, which was directed by Katherine Dieckmann, of New York, New York, and produced by Lianne Halfon, of New York, New York, and Tom Carouso, of Beverly Hills, California, of the Kardana Films production company. The film was submitted by Danny Vinson, of Antioch, Tennessee, who is one of the actors in the film which is currently airing on HBO.

Lindsey presented the Golden Lion best of show student award to Flowers & Freckle Cream, directed by David Rotan, of Morganton, North Carolina, and produced by Bob Jones, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The Golden Lion award winners and certificate of merit winners, respectively, in each student category are:

Short documentary - (There was no Golden Lion award winner in this category.)

The certificate of merit winner is Want Some; Get Some: An Inside Look at Muscle Shoals Wrestling, produced by Get It Son Productions. This film was submitted by Laura Bodnar, of Huntsville, and Katie Busler, of Florence. Short narrative - Flowers & Freckle Cream, directed by David Rotan, of Morganton, North Carolina, and produced by Bob Jones, of Tuscaloosa, at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston Salem, North Carolina. The certificate of merit winner is The Day Before, directed by Ann LeSchander, of Los Angeles, California, and produced by the University of Southern California.

Full length narrative - Kites Toward Heaven, submitted by Robyn Kreger, of Studio City, California. The merit winner is Destani's Eyes, directed by The Snap Shot Reporters, of Birmingham. This entry was submitted by Girls, Inc., of Central Alabama.

The Golden Lion award winners and certificate of merit winners, respectively, in each professional category are:

Short narrative - APOGEE, directed by John Richardson and produced by Anne Wheeler, John Richardson and Karen Scott, of BLK Productions, LLC., all of Birmingham. (Richardson lived in Birmingham when the project was done, but now lives in California.) The merit winner is Company K, directed by George Caldwell and produced by Woodson, Caldwell and Coulon at In The Trenches production company. Caldwell and Woodson are from Montgomery and Coulon is from New York, New York.

Full length narrative - A Good Baby, directed by Katherine Dieckmann, of New York, New York, and produced by Lianne Halfon, of New York, N.Y., and Tom Carouso, of Beverly Hills, California, of the Kardana Films Production Company. This film was submitted by Danny Vinson, of Antioch, Tennessee. The certificate of merit winner is Holiday with Family and Friends, produced by Benedie and Associates, Slingshot, Nashville, Tennessee. This film was submitted by Edie Hand, of Dora.

A new award was created this year that allowed audiences watching the entries during festival screeenings to select their favorites. The favorite professional entry is APOGEE, produced by Anne Wheeler, John Richardson and Karen Scott, all of Birmingham, and directed by Richardson. The student favorite is Want Some, Get Some: An Inside Look at Muscle Shoals Wrestling, produced and directed by Katie Busler, of Florence, and Laura Bodnar, of Huntsville.

The festival committee gave a Golden Lion award to UNA director of university relations Bill Jarnigan, who has worked on the festival from the beginning.

Dr. Lindsey announced that the dates for the 5th annual George Lindsey/UNA Television and Film Festival are April 18-20, 2002.

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Annette Himmler
Office of University Relations
University of North Alabama
Box 5026
Florence, AL 35632-0001
Tel: (256) 765-4225
fax: (256) 765-4812