Screenings: Family Name, The Killer Within, The Hard Road Home
Macky Alston is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, an educator on issues of media and religion, an organizer within the worlds of philanthropy and media-making, and a writer and reviewer on film and religion. A graduate of Union Theological Seminary (M. Div.), he comes from a long line of ministers in the American South and grew up exposed to the power of religion as he witnessed charismatic leaders on the Left and Right shaping political and social relations for generations to come. He holds a Masters of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary and now directs Auburn Media, part of the Auburn Seminary.
Alston recently completed The Killer Within, a documentary feature on a Columbine-type crime that took place fifty years ago. In addition, he produced The Hard Road Home, a feature documentary about the personal transformation of a formerly incarcerated gang-leader.
Alston’s previous film, Family Name, explored the legacy of slavery in America today; Alston filmed it between 1994 and 1997, then premiered it at Sundance. It aired nationally on PBS in 1998, winning the Freedom of Expression Award at the Sundance Film Festival, the IFP Gotham Open Palm Award, and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Historical Programming.
