Communication Studies

Documentary filmmaker and Academy Award nominee Alice Elliott will host a screening of Body and Soul: Diana and Kathy, followed by a Q&A session; light refreshments will be served. Elliott is the inaugural visiting filmmaker in the William and Stephanie Clohesy Documentary Film Series. The goal of the series is to bring America's most distinguished documentary filmmakers to UNI. The series is sponsored by the Department of Communication Studies, and directed by David O’Shields, filmmaker-in-residence and adjunct instructor. 

Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy is a true story about two life-long friends who have made their home in Springfield, Illinois. Diana drives, cooks, shops, and has been Kathy's personal assistant and friend for the past 35 years. Remarkably, Diana has Down Syndrome, a genetic condition that gives her one extra chromosome and a lower IQ. Kathy on the other hand is 61, has a degree in English, but is non-verbal, and has had cerebral palsy since her birth. As part of their ongoing activist efforts to demystify disability, Diana and Kathy invited Alice into their home over a period of five years to create their film, Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy.  The documentary was screened in a number of film festivals and was shown on PBS in 2009.

Susan Retik is one of the founders of "Beyond the 11". Pregnant when her husband was killed on American Flight 11, she and Patti Quigley, another widow, turned their grief into a project to benefit the widows of Afghanistan. Retik will show excerpts from the award-winning documentary about their story "Beyond Belief" and engage in discussion with the audience. Sponsored by Reaching for Higher Ground and Community Foundation.

Documentary filmmaker and Academy Award nominee Alice Elliott will visit and show her Academy Award-nominated film The Collector of Bedford Street. The screening will be followed with a Q&A session. Elliott is the inaugural visiting filmmaker in the William and Stephanie Clohesy Documentary Film Series. The goal of the series is to bring America's most distinguished documentary filmmakers to UNI. The series is sponsored by the Department of Communication Studies, and directed by David O’Shields, filmmaker-in-residence and adjunct instructor. 

The Collector of Bedford Street is a 34-minute documentary about Alice's neighbor, Larry Selman, a community activist and a fundraiser who has an intellectual disability. When Larry's primary caregiver becomes unable to care for him, his New York City neighborhood community rallies together to protect his independent lifestyle by establishing an adult trust fund in his behalf.  The Collector of Bedford Street was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002. It was screened over 70 film festivals, was shown on the cable channel Cinemax and won 18 awards.

Written and directed by Jennifer Cooley and Karen Mitchell.

Carne viva in Postville: Stories of Madres and Monarchs is an ethnodrama based on the testimonials of Guatemalan women living in Iowa who seek to survive in the aftermath of the May 12, 2008 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Postville. Carne viva provides a medium for voices that are often silenced or "undocumented." The play explores the role of women's creative work (such as weaving, cooking, and storytelling) as a constructive force that combats the destructive elements of the workplace environment, gender divisions, racism, and government policies regarding immigration. Creators and actors will draw spectators into the complex and interwoven world of global migration in the 21st century through post-performance talk-backs, where solutions seem as elusive as butterflies...

A Mid-American Forensics League (MAFL) college speech tournament at UNI.

Written and directed by Jennifer Cooley and Karen Mitchell.

Carne viva in Postville: Stories of Madres and Monarchs is an ethnodrama based on the testimonials of Guatemalan women living in Iowa who seek to survive in the aftermath of the May 12, 2008 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Postville. Carne viva provides a medium for voices that are often silenced or "undocumented." The play explores the role of women's creative work (such as weaving, cooking, and storytelling) as a constructive force that combats the destructive elements of the workplace environment, gender divisions, racism, and government policies regarding immigration. Creators and actors will draw spectators into the complex and interwoven world of global migration in the 21st century through post-performance talk-backs, where solutions seem as elusive as butterflies...

Written and directed by Jennifer Cooley and Karen Mitchell.

Carne viva in Postville: Stories of Madres and Monarchs is an ethnodrama based on the testimonials of Guatemalan women living in Iowa who seek to survive in the aftermath of the May 12, 2008 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Postville. Carne viva provides a medium for voices that are often silenced or "undocumented." The play explores the role of women's creative work (such as weaving, cooking, and storytelling) as a constructive force that combats the destructive elements of the workplace environment, gender divisions, racism, and government policies regarding immigration. Creators and actors will draw spectators into the complex and interwoven world of global migration in the 21st century through post-performance talk-backs, where solutions seem as elusive as butterflies...

Newspapers play a critical role in a democracy. Nancy Newhoff, editor of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, will discuss the Courier's focus, how news is selected and trends affecting newspapers. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by the UNI American Democracy Project.

Written and directed by Jennifer Cooley and Karen Mitchell.

Carne viva in Postville: Stories of Madres and Monarchs is an ethnodrama based on the testimonials of Guatemalan women living in Iowa who seek to survive in the aftermath of the May 12, 2008 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Postville. Carne viva provides a medium for voices that are often silenced or "undocumented." The play explores the role of women's creative work (such as weaving, cooking, and storytelling) as a constructive force that combats the destructive elements of the workplace environment, gender divisions, racism, and government policies regarding immigration. Creators and actors will draw spectators into the complex and interwoven world of global migration in the 21st century through post-performance talk-backs, where solutions seem as elusive as butterflies...

Written and directed by Jennifer Cooley and Karen Mitchell.

Carne viva in Postville: Stories of Madres and Monarchs is an ethnodrama based on the testimonials of Guatemalan women living in Iowa who seek to survive in the aftermath of the May 12, 2008 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Postville. Carne viva provides a medium for voices that are often silenced or "undocumented." The play explores the role of women's creative work (such as weaving, cooking, and storytelling) as a constructive force that combats the destructive elements of the workplace environment, gender divisions, racism, and government policies regarding immigration. Creators and actors will draw spectators into the complex and interwoven world of global migration in the 21st century through post-performance talk-backs, where solutions seem as elusive as butterflies...