Documentary Institute alumni take College Emmy

Two graduates of the College’s Documentary Institute recently won an Emmy at the 29th annual College Television Awards in Los Angeles for their thesis project, “Bismillah: In the Name of Allah.”

Jolene Pinder, MAMC 2007, and Sarah Zaman, MAMC 2007, won the documentary category for their film about a Muslim Girl Scouts leader who runs for office in Minneapolis.

“[Pinder and Zaman] arrived at the ceremony knowing they were one of the three finalists in the documentary category,” said Cara Pilson, associate director of the institute. “They left the black-tie event with the top Emmy in hand.”

More than 400 industry insiders attended the event. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences judged more than 400 entries from 176 colleges.

“Since Sarah and I both started full-time jobs within weeks of graduating,” Pinder said, “it’s been challenging to work on the marketing of ‘Bismillah,’ but we have been entering film festivals and are looking for a distributor.”

The institute is part of the College, a national leader in the professional education of future journalists and other communications practitioners. Besides documentary filmmaking, the college’s other graduate-level programs include science/health communication, media law, political communication and international communication.

Posted: March 19, 2008
Category: College News