Nov. 13, 2019

FLORENCE, AL – Gabriel Rhoden, a junior majoring in Communications at the University of North Alabama, has taken third place in the “Best Short Film Documentary” category at the 2019-2020 College Media Association Film and Audio Festival for his film, “Home Grown.”

“I’m extremely honored and grateful with my third-place win,” Rhoden said. “It’s a great encouragement, and I only hope to use it going forward, continuing to push myself and my passion for this craft. I couldn’t have done it if it weren’t for my family and friends who have encouraged and pushed me from the very beginning.”

Rhoden’s film features a third-generation cattle farmer who has been farming in North Alabama for more than 50 years. The story illustrates his vocation and how it has changed and is in decline. “Home Grown” can be found on YouTube at “Home Grown Short Film by Gabriel Rhoden.”

The College Media Association Film and Audio Festival is designed to encourage and promote excellence in student video work by showing examples of top-notch projects in several categories. The College Media Association serves student media pros, staffs, and programs with education, research, and resources.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs through the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Sciences, and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I’s ASUN Big South Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/