PRESS RELEASE
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION
January 21, 2014
CONTACT: Dr. Bruce Hutchinson, (501) 450-3419; bruceh@uca.edu
JAY RUSSELL TO CONTINUE UCA’S VISITING FILMMAKER SERIES
By Holly Morrison
College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office
CONWAY — North Little Rock native Jay Russell will continue the University of Central Arkansas’s visiting filmmaker series next week.
Russell will be on campus Tuesday, Jan. 28, for a film discussion and screening of his film “The Water Horse: Legend from the Deep”.
Russell follows Eric England, the filmmaker from Russellville who was on campus Jan. 21.
“We’re very lucky to have both Jay Russell and Eric England coming to UCA,” said Dr. Bruce Hutchinson, director of graduate studies and associate professor of digital filmmaking. “Jay is a well established director who has a wealth of filmmaking knowledge to share with our students. Eric is an up-and-coming director who is only a couple of years older than our students.”
Both visits are made possible by a collaboration between the Little Rock Film Festival and the College of Fine Arts and Communication’s Artist in Residence series.
Russell has been in the television scene since he was 19, filming commercials for the Arkansas Parks and Tourism division. After obtaining his Master of Fine Arts degree in Screenwriting and Directing at Columbia University in New York City, he released his first production, “End of the Line”, in 1988. In the ‘90s, Russell filmed a number of documentaries for NBC, CBS, The Learning Channel and the Discovery Channel. He also was the man behind many well-known emotionally hard-hitting movies, including “Ladder 49” and “Tuck Everlasting”.
Russell will participate in a film discussion, hosted by Hutchinson, in Stanley Russ Hall room 103 from 5:45 p.m. to 6:45. Following the screening of “The Water Horse” at 7, there will be a Q&A. Both events are free and open to the public.
England began his career with the release of his first horror film, “Madison County”, in 2011. Since then he has directed a number of films including “Contracted”, which came out last year. His visit included a screening of “Madison County” and screenwriting and directing workshops.
For more information, contact Hutchinson at (501) 450-3419 or bruceh@uca.edu.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Communication, Mass Communication and Theatre, Music and Writing. The college’s primary mission is the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators and communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call (501) 450-3293.
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