Watch Triple A, Bar None

Isaac Fowler (JEM ‘18), Tim Morris (JEM ‘18), and Patricia Forrester (Sport Management ‘17) have been nominated for a Midsouth Regional Emmy in the historical documentary category for Triple A, Bar None, a VFL Films production about legendary University of Tennessee swimming and diving coach Ray Bussard.

Bussard coached the Vols from 1968-88 and led the men’s program to its only NCAA team championship in 1978. Triple A, Bar None was created in part to celebrate the 40^th anniversary reunion of the national championship team.

During the 1970s, the Vols developed a tradition … Read more “Alumni Garners Regional Emmy Nomination for UT Swimming Documentary”

As part of her visit, Apsell delivered a free public lecture, “The Art of Science Communication,” on October 29 in the Patrick Auditorium, 321 Communications Building. … Read more “Former NOVA Executive Producer Spends Week Mentoring Students at UT”

Author and actress Danica McKellar will narrate The Library That Dolly Built, the first feature-length documentary about Dolly Parton’s book gifting program, The Imagination Library, produced by Land Grant Films in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s School of Journalism and Electronic Media.

Land Grant Films provides UT students experience in documentary storytelling while providing local nonprofit organizations with videos that can be used to raise awareness and funds. Fifteen UT students worked on the film.

“We are honored to have Ms. McKellar work with us on this important project,” said Nick Geidner, who is a JEM associate professor, the … Read more “Author, Actress Danica McKellar to Narrate Imagination Library Documentary”

 Welcome Home Brother, a film created by two recent UT graduates as part of Land Grant Films’ Defender of Dreams documentary series, received a nomination in the topical documentary category of the Midsouth Regional Emmys.
“The news of our recent Emmy nomination is very exciting. I am so thankful for those who appeared in our film and everyone at Land Grant who helped us along the way,” said Tim Morris, who along with Isaac Fowler directed Welcome Home Brother. “When we made this documentary, we never expected it to go as far as it has gone. We … Read more “Land Grant Films, Students Receive Emmy Nomination”

Land Grant Films received a $10,000 award from the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation and a $7,920 grant from Humanities Tennessee to support its production of 100 Million Stories, a documentary about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

7 Days in America from Medal of Honor Project on Vimeo.

Immigration Film Festival

7 Days in America, a documentary produced by UT’s Land Grant Films, has been selected for screening at the Immigration Film Festival in Washington, DC.
The half-hour documentary follows Katie Willocks, a case worker from Bridge Refugee Services, as she helps a family of Burundian … Read more “Land Grant Films Receives New Grants/Has Documentary Selected for Film Festival”

The Nashville Film Festival has announced Welcome Home Brother, directed by School of Journalism and Electronic Media seniors Isaac Fowler and Tim Morris, as an official selection in its short documentary category.
The festival is an Academy Award–qualifying competition and received more than 6,000 entries for 2018.
Fowler and Morris’s eight-minute film documents the experiences of three Vietnam veterans as they find their voice in East Tennessee through the help of the Bill Robinson Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans Association.
Welcome Home Brother is part of the Land Grant Films’ Defender of the Dream documentary. The project was produced in … Read more “Students’ Documentary to Be Featured in Nashville Film Festival”

The documentary 7 Days in America, produced by UT’s Land Grant Films, will air on East Tennessee PBS at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 8.
Students in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media produced the documentary, which follows a case worker from Bridge Refugee Services as she helps a Burundian family settling into life in East Tennessee.
“Learning about refugees and the resettlement process was a humbling experience,” said Nick Geidner, journalism professor and director of 7 Days in America. “It was amazing to hear the stories about struggles these families have overcome to get to America and … Read more “Documentary about Burundian Family to Air on PBS Sunday”

Six students and a faculty member from the School of Journalism and Electronic Media were in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, February 27, 2018 as the Dollywood Foundation and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library celebrated the presentation of their 100 millionth book at the Library of Congress.
The College of Communication and Information contingent was there as part of Land Grant Films, which was chronicling the event for its newest documentary, tentatively titled 100 Million Stories. Though pegged to the milestone book presentation, the documentary will tell the story of the program which delivers free, high-quality books to children from … Read more “Students in DC for Imagination Library’s 100 Millionth Book Celebration”

UT’s Land Grant Films has announced its most ambitious documentary yet: telling the story of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Journalism and Electronic Media Associate Professor Nick Geidner, who leads Land Grant Films, came up with the idea for the project—dubbed 100 Million Stories—after learning the program was on target to give away its 100 millionth book early next year.
Parton started Imagination Library in 1996 in honor of her father, who was unable to read or write. It began as a free book program for children from birth to age five in Sevier County, and has since expanded across … Read more “Students Making Film to Mark Parton’s 100 Millionth Book Giveaway”

The short films—made by journalism and electronic media seniors Tim Morris, Isaac Fowler, Isaac Ward, and Jessie Tipton—have been compiled into Defenders of the Dream, which premiered at 5 p.m. on September 1 at a First Friday event hosted by the East Tennessee Historical Society. The film premiere was followed by a panel discussion led … Read more “Journalism Students Produce Documentaries about Local Vietnam Vets”