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'Bama Girl
Rachel Goslins
2007
Categories:
Closing Night Film, Documentary Feature
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Run time:
72 min.
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U S A
CLOSING NIGHT FILM:‘Bama Girl follows a young black woman’s quest to become the Homecoming Queen at the University of Alabama, one of the great Deep South institutions. Homecoming has a rich history there, tied into centuries of privilege, tradition, and racial exclusivity. We follow Jessica Thomas’ campaign for Queen, running against not only 15 other co-eds, but a strictly segregated Greek system, internal black politics, and a secret all-white association called 'The Machine' that has been controlling politics at the University for most of the past century. This is a film about the light and the dark sides of heritage-- and an unexpected microcosm of electoral politics that reflects much of what is happening across our country today.
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Alabama Theatre | + add to cal |
About the film
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Cast & Crew
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Audience Buzz
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816 people viewed this page
From the blog
A Standing O, baby!
Just got back from the Sidewalk Festival in Birmingham (and boy are my arms tired, ba-dum-bump). The screening last night was AMAZING. The theater was spectacular, a huge immaculately renovated Art Deco movie palace from the 20s, with three balconies, gilt ceilings and red velvet curtains. Honestly, I've seen crappier opera houses. The line was around the block, the place was packed, and the audience was incredibly responsive, getting every joke and chuckling knowingly at every reference. It was a pleasure to sit through the film with them. Bringing this film back to Birmingham, after all my travails and travels making it, really felt like a homecoming of it's own.
At the end of the film, after thunderous applause, I climbed to the stage to start the Q&A. As Jessica came up the steps to join me, the whole theater, 2000 people, rose to their feet clapping again to give us standing ovation. It was the most incredible moment of my whole journey with this film.
Almost all the girls were there, with their families. Jess, Creshema, Sara Catherine (the redhead), Tatiana (the one who says "Are they gonna stop by here and leave us their laundry"), Stacy (the school administrator), and even Marvely (Jessica's rival on the Court) who showed up out of the blue - I haven't had any contact with her since filming. The Q&A was intense and interesting, but entirely supportive (I guess the Machine was busy that night). The most moving moment came at the end, when Jessica spoke being able to bring her grandmother to see this film about her running for Homecoming Queen in this gorgeous theater which, when her grandmother was growing up in Birmingham, she was never allowed to enter. It kind of summed everything up in such a beautiful and personal way.
I have to stop describing it because I'm running out of superlatives. Am attaching a couple of articles that came out over the weekend (we were on the front page of the Birmingham News) in case you feel like doing some supplemental reading. Also, a news story from last night.
http://www.al.com/movies/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/122258977447650.xml&coll=2
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20080926/TUSK03/809250282/1005?Title=She_fought_the_machine
http://www.cbs42.com/news/local/29870669.html (scroll through the video pieces in right viewer until you see "Bama Girl")
At the end of the film, after thunderous applause, I climbed to the stage to start the Q&A. As Jessica came up the steps to join me, the whole theater, 2000 people, rose to their feet clapping again to give us standing ovation. It was the most incredible moment of my whole journey with this film.
Almost all the girls were there, with their families. Jess, Creshema, Sara Catherine (the redhead), Tatiana (the one who says "Are they gonna stop by here and leave us their laundry"), Stacy (the school administrator), and even Marvely (Jessica's rival on the Court) who showed up out of the blue - I haven't had any contact with her since filming. The Q&A was intense and interesting, but entirely supportive (I guess the Machine was busy that night). The most moving moment came at the end, when Jessica spoke being able to bring her grandmother to see this film about her running for Homecoming Queen in this gorgeous theater which, when her grandmother was growing up in Birmingham, she was never allowed to enter. It kind of summed everything up in such a beautiful and personal way.
I have to stop describing it because I'm running out of superlatives. Am attaching a couple of articles that came out over the weekend (we were on the front page of the Birmingham News) in case you feel like doing some supplemental reading. Also, a news story from last night.
http://www.al.com/movies/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/122258977447650.xml&coll=2
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20080926/TUSK03/809250282/1005?Title=She_fought_the_machine
http://www.cbs42.com/news/local/29870669.html (scroll through the video pieces in right viewer until you see "Bama Girl")
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