The Cahaba Lillies are one of thousands of species needing environmental protection. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

This summer, five talented filmmakers created short documentaries that tell impactful stories about Alabama’s thriving environment.

Now, Birmingham will host a free screening of these short films later on this month.

Join the Alabama Rivers Alliance as they uncover the dangers of chemicals and learn how we can protect our beautiful environment.

Preserving Alabama’s native plants and animals

Back in June, the Alabama Rivers Alliance announced its selection of five skilled documentary filmmakers.

During the program, the fellows created short documentaries that highlighted our rich biodiversity and the significance of protecting it. These films feature several topics aimed to educate the audience on solutions to preserve our ever-growing economy.

Here are some topics that will be explored:

Celebrate women who show activism in protecting their communities
Educate the audience about chemicals that do more harm than good and how communities are struggling with the Environmental Protection Act’s recent initiatives to address pervasive industrial contamination
Exploring native plants in Alabama and inspiring others to plant native species and remove invasive ones

Meet the filmmakers

The 2024 Southern Exposure fellows have quite a knack for portraying our environment through film.

Here are the fellows and some of their biggest accomplishments:

Robert Boyd: a Fullbright National Geographic Fellow who interned aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus as a videographer for deep sea exploration
Charles Connell: a documentary filmmaker who has produced video projects for the National Park Service and had his work featured on Maryland Public Television
Olivia Hall: a graduate of UAB and had her short documentary “Up in Smoke” showcased at 2023 Sidewalk Film Festival
Kaleb Manshke + Hannah Schoetimer: These are both award-winning independent filmmakers and have screened work in festivals such as Chicago Horror Film Festival
Jermaine Thompson: a poet who has had films as a part of Alabama Poetry Delegation

The Southern Exposure Film Fellowship has created over 40 films exploring various topics, all relating to environmental challenges. With these films come the opportunity to spread awareness on behalf of Alabama’s environment.