The low budget, 35-minute short film that brought “Brooklyn to Brooklyn” has turned into a more than two-hour feature film and could bring acclaim to the area, officials said Monday.
Director Michael Infante and his girlfriend and fellow film student, Jessica Thoubboron, brought their film, “Only Fear of Death” to Covington County in early March, where they filmed portions.
Though Infante and his crew didn’t want to pinpoint the various locations throughout the county, he did mention areas of Red Level, Florala and Brooklyn.
The film tells the story of how the encroaching Civil War forces and supernatural agencies disrupt the lives of a slaveholder and his family. The film follows the hesitant master, his dissatisfied wife, his prophetic brother and his conflicted young slave as fear, disloyalty and alienation tear them apart.
Infante was among the filmmakers to have work screened in the “23 on 23,” the 23rd annual Dusty Film & Animation Festival, which is under way at the School of Visual Arts Theatre in New York City through tomorrow.
The festival showcases more than 100 films from graduating students at SVA.
“There are no war scenes in the movie,” Infante said. “Instead, it’s a drama about the interaction between members of a slave-holding family. It’s a modern look at the social dynamics among everyone, about humanity and how people are forced into a situation they don’t want to be in.”
Infante this week told a New Jersey media outlet that he learned more about Southerners’ perspective of the conflict and ultimately, “how our respective educations have provided us with completely different narratives.”
After graduating from SVA, Infante plans to show “Only Fear of Death” to as many different audiences as possible — and this summer will begin to submit the film “to a myriad of important international, national and regional film festivals, including Berlin, Rotterdam, Sundance and South by Southwest.”
Organizers were pleased with Saturday’s Three Notch Market arts and crafts festival and Little Big Town concert.
Now in its third year, the arts and crafts festival was bigger than ever. Amy Dugger, a spokesperson for the Andalusia Junior Woman’s Club, which sponsors the event, said Saturday was a great day.
“Our vendors grew from only 50 last year to more than 80 this year,” Dugger said. “We hope that it gets bigger and bigger. Our vendors were happy and the crowd was good. It was all for the community.”
The AJWC focuses its fundraising efforts on causes that positively affect students. This year, she said, they are adding a $1,000 scholarship to an AHS student who exemplifies the club’s belief in volunteerism.
Andalusia Mayor Earl Johnson was singing the club’s praises Monday afternoon.
“I am so proud of the Andalusia Junior Woman’s Club and their spouses, as well as literally half of our city employees, for putting all of that together and making it happen,” he said. “There was a great turnout, and I don’t think it could have gone any better.”
The city sponsored the Little Big Town concert, and the mayor estimated the crowd between 1,200 and 1,500.
“It was outstanding for what was the first real concert put on and promoted to any extent in that venue,” he said. “I would rather have 1,200 to 1,500 people and have all of them happy – as they were, than to have had 5,000 show and not be able to accommodate them. Hopefully, we will continue to grow this event.”
This year’s Covington County Relay for Life raised nearly $100,000 for the fight against cancer.
Chairperson Alison Tew said as of Monday, the fundraising total set at $97,217 following Friday’s Relay “Go Long for a Cure” event.
At the end of the night, the following winners were declared for the most money raised:
• by an extra-large team: PowerSouth.
• by a large team: Shaw.
• by a medium team: Covington Electric Cooperative.
• by a small team: South Alabama Gas District.
Spirit winners were City of Andalusia, Andalusia Hospital, Wal-Mart and South Central Alabama Mental Health.
This year’s “Light of Hope” award went to Comfort Care Hospice, while the “Team Captain Volunteer of the Year” award was given to SEAGD team member Reba Gant.
Tew said this year’s “Committee Member of the Year” is Larry Brown.
“Larry has gone above and beyond this year to make sure Relay was a success,” Tew said. “He worked daily to solicit contributions for the event and participated in as many team activities as possible. He is a true example of the volunteer spirit.”
The T-shirt competition winner was the Red Level High School student team, while the campsite competition award went to the Straughn High School student team.
A total of 15 teams set up campsite the night of Relay.
There are some 40 summer employment positions available with the City of Andalusia and the Andalusia Utilities Department, but teens should act quickly if interested in securing a job.
Debra Spivey, director of the city’s Depa-rtment of Human Resources, said the process of hiring the summer help began in March and will continue until each of the positions is filled.
“We’ve already got some employees working at the pool, getting things ready to go,” Spivey said. “But, there are a number of positions that will need to be filled.”
Spivey said interested students should pick up an application at Johnson Park. Typically, preference is given to those who worked in previous summers, but students shouldn’t wait to apply, she said.
“We keep the applications on record and contact students who worked previous years to see if they want to return,” Spivey said. “Whatever slots are remaining, we pick from the remaining applicants.”
Spivey said about 15 pool employees will be needed such as lifeguards, ticket takers and managers.
She said there will be a diverse group who work through the department of leisure service who will be dispersed throughout all city departments.
“There’ll be one in the administration building, the police department, planning and development and the library,” she said. “There will be several working at Johnson Park, and then of course, at the Coleman Center. The utility board will also have three or four that they work out in the field with their group.”
The jobs will begin mid-May and run through July. Students will be paid minimum wage at $7.25 per hour.
“Everybody involved learns from the experience,” Spivey said. “The students that we hire for summer provide helpful services to the city and all the departments that they work in it. It also gives the students experience in the labor market, as well as an idea of what to expect when they get out of the school and enter the job market.”
Crowds swarmed the Kiwanis Center Fairgrounds last night for the annual American Cancer Society’s Covington County Relay for Life celebration.
To “change things up,” chair Alison Tew told the crowd that rather than have a doctor speak on the symptoms and process of cancer, the RFL committee wanted to focus on the caregivers this year.
This year, Dr. Gabrielle Baldwin and her sister Kristi Powell, whose husband, Johnny, died Christmas Day, shared their stories as caregivers.
Baldwin, who is a pediatrician at Covington Pediatrics, said she never dreamed her education in how to care for cancer patients would benefit someone in her family.
“When I went to medical school 15 years ago, I never realized I would minister to someone in my immediate family,” she said.
In 2010, Johnny Powell was ready to celebrate the holiday season with his family but was suddenly hit with mild reflux. By the following Monday, his family began commenting about the yellow color of his skin, which prompted an emergency trip to the doctor.
By the beginning of December, the family got the news it was cancer, and not just any cancer, but a rare form of gallbladder cancer.
“He was 42,” Baldwin said. “When I found out what the tests showed, I knew we were dealing with something major. Then our worst fears were confirmed. It was cancer, a very rare and often silent form until it’s too late.
The prognosis was that treatment would improve Johnny’s quality of life and prolong his time on Earth, but he would not get over it.
“Without treatment, he would have had mere weeks to six months,” she said. “We had him for an additional 12 months.”
Baldwin said it’s difficult for someone to watch his or her family member go through something like that, and it’s difficult for a physician to watch a patient.
“For me, this was doubly heartbreaking,” she said. “I know I cannot intervene and cure everyone, but thanks to Relay a balm is applied. Some only think of the long-term effects, but Relay is more, and not all side benefits are medical related. The time, effort and money the community donates is uplifting. It’s a balm to our soul.
“Thankfully, we are well-grounded in our faith in God,” Baldwin said.
And it’s that faith that took the family through, Kristi Powell said.
“A pastor once told me, from the moment you draw your first breath you are going to die,” she said. “This past year wasn’t the route I thought I’d take, but I’m thankful for the journey. We knew God had a reason. God doesn’t put more on us than we can handle.”
Powell said when you find out your loved one has an illness like cancer there are two things that come in your mind – worry and peace.
“Worry is your head knowledge and peace is your heart knowledge,” she said. “We didn’t worry. We knew God was going to take care of it. Johnny would say, ‘I’m the one with cancer, and I’m not worried. No one else should be either.’”
Powell said that God made it clear to the family that Johnny’s sickness was going to be used for his kingdom.
“Sure, we prayed for complete healing,” she said. “But we also prayed for God’s will to be done. How he chose to heal him was his choice.”
Powell said everyone asked the family how they could be so calm and content.
“God has a plan,” she said. “And Johnny would say he was humbled to be part of that plan. The day he died, he got the best Christmas present. He spent Christmas morning with us and he went home to see the Savior.”
Powell recalled the family’s conversation with her children, Jared and Kaleb, about why Johnny chose to have a do not resuscitate order.
“He said where I’m going to, I don’t want to come back,” she said. “And it’s not a question of if we’ll see him again, but when we’ll see him again.”
Money raised from events such as RFL go to help find treatment for all types of cancers including rare forms.
At last count, RFL had raised more than $90,000.