(Grand Rapids, MI, December 29, 2008) On Tuesday, January 6 at 7 p.m., WGVU continues the Independent Cinema series at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts with the film Tulia, Texas. A discussion will follow with local panelists, including James Houston and Patrick Gerkin with Grand Valley State University’s Criminal Justice program and former defense attorney Tonya Krause-Phelan from Cooley Law School.

A lone undercover cop moves into a small farming town. By the end of the blazing summer of 1999, 46 people are arrested for selling cocaine – nearly all of them African American.  It was heralded as one of the biggest drug busts in Texas history, until a team of lawyers set out to uncover the truth.  This is the story of a small town's search for justice and the price Americans pay for the nation's war on drugs.

This screening event is part of the ITVS Community Cinema program.  The film will also air on Tuesday, February 10 at 10 p.m. on WGVU TV & WGVU HD as part of the PBS series Independent Lens. 

Free screenings of Independent Lens films are held the first Tuesday of every month.  For more on the Independent Cinema series, including upcoming dates and films, visit wgvu.org/cinema or myspace.com/independentcinemagr.

(Grand Rapids, MI, December 8, 2008) WGVU is happy to announce that eight of its productions have received Ava Awards. The international Ava Awards recognizes outstanding work by creative professionals involved in the concept, writing, direction, shooting, and editing of audio-visual materials and programs.

Platinum Awards went to Messiah with the Calvin Oratorio Society 2008 and Stefon Harris: Portraits of The Promised, both in the Arts category. Both programs were recordings of live musical performances; Messiah was produced by WGVU Producer/Director Deb Kirk and Stefon Harris by WGVU Production Manager Philip A. Lane.

Battle Creek: Celebrating Flight 2008, also produced by Deb Kirk received a Gold Award in the Entertainment category. Gold Awards in the Arts category went to Stefon Harris and Friends: African Tarantella – Dances with Duke and Stefon Harris: The Art of Listening. Both programs were directed and edited by Philip A. Lane.

Honorable Mentions went to Decision 2008: U.S. Senatorial Debate in the Public Affairs category, Grand Valley State Sports Report in the Sports category and Coast Guard Festival Highlights 2008 in the Entertainment category. Decision 2008 was produced by Philip A. Lane and the others by WGVU Producer/Director Jim Vander Maas.

Visit wgvu.org to learn about these and other award-winning productions from WGVU.

(Grand Rapids, MI, December 8, 2008) WGVU is happy to announce that two of its productions have received honors from The Accolade Competition. The Accolades honor outstanding craft and creativity in film, video, television and commercials.

An Award of Excellence went to Battle Creek: Celebrating Flight 2008 for Videography. The program puts you inside the cockpit with the Thunderbirds, takes you up with the Starfighters, a three-ship team of F-104s and celebrates the magic of a hot air balloon launch. This up-close look at the 2008 Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival also includes the comedy of the Alabama Boys and a breathtaking wing walking display. It was shot by a WGVU Productions team, headed by Producer/Director Deb Kirk.

Stefon Harris: The Art of Listening has received an Award of Merit for Television in the Arts/Cultural/Performance/Plays category. Vibraphonist-composer Stefon Harris has been heralded as "one of the most important young artists in jazz" by the Los Angeles Times. Whether communicating with other musicians or with audiences, Stefon demonstrates how listening is truly an art form.  In this documentary from WGVU Productions, he chats with scientists and riffs with jazz students.  Stefon also responds to a Unitarian church's request for a new celebratory composition, then rehearses and performs with his own talented ensemble. The documentary was directed and edited by WGVU Production Manager Phil Lane.