The top film in its category was created by students in the 2013 and 2015 advanced documentary workshop class of The Burnett Honors College. This was the first time a UCF film was nominated for a college Emmy, and it beat out films from Chapman şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą in Orange, Calif., and Northwestern şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą in Evanston, Ill.

The movie is about Florida lawmakers and religious activists in 1928 who sought to ban classes and books on evolution at the school that later became Florida State şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą. Professors and college administrators were accused of “corrupting young women’s minds” and critics called the students “filthy dreamers.” Ultimately the college prevailed.

The UCF student filmmakers researched, wrote and filmed the documentary. They said they wanted to inform viewers about the history of censorship on campuses because nearly 100 years later, public figures and activists are still trying to control academic curriculums.

Robert Cassanello, an associate professor of history, and Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film in the School of Visual Arts & Design, were faculty advisors for the project. Connie Lester, director of the history department’s RICHES (Regional Initiative for Collecting the History, Experiences and Stories of Central Florida) was the narrator, and voice-over acting included theatre associate professor Christopher Niess and journalism associate professor Steve Collins. 

Bob Graham, a former Florida governor and U.S. senator whose mother was among the so-called “filthy dreamers,” also was featured in the film.

This was the third documentary produced by honors students after Alvin Wang, dean of The Burnett Honors College, sought a collaborative effort with the College of Arts & Humanities in 2010.

The 2013 students involved were: Will Chorvat, Jason Clarke, Carter Howard, Beverly Nwokoye, Amber Pietrowski, Rachel White and Orlando Porro. The 2015 students were Ernesto Calderon, Louis-Christophe Fortier, Kristin Keefer, Ramsey Khawaja, Derek Loucks, Carmen Malca, Shannon Specie, Antony Zeng, Nichole Santana, Emma Duncan, Tiffany Campbell, Alex McKeel, Kristina League and Michael Reed.

Loucks, League and Khawaja traveled to the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles to accept the Emmy. They also participated in a summit and development workshops at the Television Academy with industry professionals.

To see the trailer for “Filthy Dreamers,” go to .

The film, Filthy Dreamers, is about state lawmakers and religious activists who tried to ban certain textbooks and the teaching of evolution in 1928 at the school that became Florida State şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą. The critics accused professors and administrators at the college of “corrupting young women’s minds” and labeled them “filthy dreamers,” but ultimately the college prevailed.

The students from The Burnett Honors College said they made the film to educate and inform viewers about the long history of censorship in classrooms, libraries and campuses because nearly 100 years later, public figures and activists are still trying to control curriculum.

“This film is about academic freedom and why it was important in 1928 as well as 2016,” said history associate professor Robert Cassanello. “It should be a cautionary tale for lawmakers and activists who demand academic content conform to a majority or even minority opinion.”

Cassanello and Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film in the School of Visual Arts & Design, were faculty advisors for the film, which is one of three finalists in the Television Academy Foundation’s documentary category. This is the first time a UCF film has been nominated for a college Emmy.

“What is so gratifying is the way students worked together to visualize a very complicated part of Florida’s history, and make it relevant to what is still happening today,” Mills said. “The film’s strength lies in showing audiences what can happen when higher education becomes politicized. These two documentary classes wanted to show us when students, faculty, and administrators stand together, they can bring important changes and make the system better for all.”

This was the third documentary produced by honors students after honors college Dean Alvin Wang sought a collaborative effort with the College of Arts & Humanities in 2010. The film was started by the honors advanced documentary workshop class in Fall 2013 and then the Fall 2015 class finished it in December. The film will also receive an honorable mention at the Broadcast Educators Association Festival of Media Arts in April.

The 2013 students involved were Will Chorvat, Jason Clarke, Carter Howard, Beverly Nwokoye, Amber Pietrowski, Rachel White and Orlando Porro. The 2015 students were Ernesto Calderon, Louis-Christophe Fortier, Kristin Keefer, League, Ramsey Khawaja, Derek Loucks, Carmen Malca, Shannon Specie, Antony Zeng, Nichole Santana, Emma Duncan, Tiffany Campbell, Alex McKeel, Kristina League and Michael Reed. Loucks and League are scheduled to travel to Los Angeles in May, when the winners will be announced.

The film was narrated by history associate professor Connie Lester, and voice-over acting included theatre associated professor Christopher Niess and journalism associate professor Steve Collins. 

The film also featured retired Sen. Bob Graham, whose mother was among the so-called “filthy dreamers” in the 1920s.

“I think one of the things we tried to do with the film is give the student perspective because we often have discussions of academic freedom in regards to the teacher, the professors and the administrators. But what about the students? Students themselves have a stake in academic freedom as well,” Cassanello said. “The classroom should be and students should expect it to be an environment for the free exchange of ideas.”

Student Emmy winners are invited to participate in a summit at the Television Academy, where they are exposed to industry professionals and participate in development workshops. Students also become part of the Television Academy Foundation alumni network, which provides access to year-round networking opportunities and events.

“Dr. Cassanello and I congratulate all of the students who worked on Filthy Dreamers. Producing a good historical documentary is not an easy task,” Mills said. “Just getting a nomination for this award is a huge honor.”

To see the trailer for Filthy Dreamers, go to .

Associate professor Robert Cassanello said the 50 video podcast episodes created by his Historical Documentary and New Media class tell the story of “the journey that got us all here.” “A History of Central Florida” took about two years working part-time to research, write, interview and record the stories that helped shape the region.

Cassanello said when he was in graduate school he studied under urban historian Raymond Mohl at Florida Atlantic şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą, who impressed on students to be curious about where they live, because that community’s history is as important as anywhere.

“He always felt he wanted to know the history of his community and make that accessible to people, so he has bodies of work from all the places he lived and worked as a scholar. So I, too, always wanted to ask questions and learn the history of my own back yard,” Cassanello said. “I think this project is my process to learn about where I live and work.”

Looking at the historic objects featured in the podcasts, viewers can learn about life in Central Florida through the sacred (a 1600s Spanish mission bell from the Ocala area) to the mundane (a “mosquito beater” of dried palm fronds tied together by rope and used to kill the insects as malaria spread across the state in the late 19th century).

From the ancient (textiles at the Windover area of Brevard County, where native peoples buried their dead 7,000 to 9,000 years ago) to the space age (Orlando astronaut John Young’s flight suit from his days as a space shuttle commander).

And from the segregationist past (Jim Crow signs denoting different areas for blacks and whites) to company scrip (such as Disston Land Co.’s payment system to workers typically in remote areas).

“The most interesting aspect of our series, in my opinion, is that we are able to demonstrate how something that could be considered mundane can become the catalyst for telling really interesting and impactful stories,” said Katie Kelley, who will graduate next spring with her master’s in history.

An example from one of the podcasts she wrote is the Russian samovar, a free-standing tea brewer that was brought to Florida in the 19th century by a family of Russian immigrants.

“It may seem like a somewhat mundane thing, but looking at what it represents tells a really important story about how immigrants try to hold on to certain aspects of their culture and how that, in turn, influences the places they immigrate to,” Kelley said. “Having only one trunk in which to pack belongings, this family chose to bring this huge item which took up a great deal of space. This, of course, speaks to the cultural relevance of the tea ritual in Russia and this family’s desire to maintain aspects of their own culture and traditions. This story demonstrates a lot of interesting ideas about the immigrant experience and it is told through an old, beat-up tea brewer.”

Student Chip Ford said the most interesting thing he learned from this experience is that local history is tied into larger historical narratives.

For example, in the podcast titled “Salt and Pepper Shakers,” the narrative focuses on how the history of the shakers stenciled with flamingos and “Florida” ties into a broader narrative of Florida tourism and international trade because the items were manufactured in Japan.  

“This interconnection between national historical and world historical narratives with local historical narratives was something that I believe is evident in all of the podcasts,” said Ford, who will graduate in December with his master’s in history. 

Cassanello said his classes worked with 17 Central Florida museums and historical societies to select the studied objects. The project also was supported by UCF’s RICHES (Regional Initiative to Collect the History, Experiences and Stories of Central Florida).

Cassanello, executive producer of the series, said he made two of the early episodes as examples, but then the students produced the rest of the installments. Some of the students had dedicated tasks, such as Bob Clarke as photographer and Chip Ford as video editor. Kelley and the other participating students – Kendra Hazen, Daniel Velásquez, Bethany Dickens, Ella Gibson and Kevin Stapleton – wrote scripts, recorded narration and provided other services.

The Florida Historical Society recognized the work that went into the project and awarded the series the Hampton Dunn Internet Awards for both 2014 and 2015, and Ford said he hopes the series stirs interest in the Central Florida public to support and visit museums.

“I think the most salient theme [of the series] is the way in which people across time created community,” said Cassanello, who now is researching the segregation and integration of public transportation. “People are just trying to create community day after day and this is what we recorded.”

“A History of Central Florida” can be accessed for free on iTunes and the project’s on the John C. Hitt Library website.

The film was co-directed by faculty members Robert Cassanello, an associate professor of history, and Lisa Mills, an associate director of film, and narrated by actress Cheryl Hines. Cassanello and Mills won an Emmy last year for their documentary “The Committee.”

A discussion after the film will include the directors and other guests. The event is will be hosted by Women’s Studies, School of Visual Arts and Design, and the History Department.

Four films with UCF ties were accepted to be screened at the Feb. 14-16 festival, a group of five UCF faculty members and undergraduate students will lead workshops for filmmakers, and one professor will be a festival judge. The weekend event will be held in the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center.

“It’s important for students to enter film festivals so that they can experience their film along with a live audience,” said Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film and organizer of the workshops.  “Watching a film in a dark room is a much more communal experience than watching it on a DVD or computer screen. You see and hear things in your film that you never noticed before.”

Three of the films to be shown were directed by students:

The fourth film was directed by Robert Cassanello, an associate professor in the History Department, and Mills. The 24-minute documentary, The Committee, was researched and written by students in an honors documentary class, and was edited by Aaron Hose, a video producer in UCF’s Center for Distributed Learning.

The movie is about a little-known investigative committee of the Florida Legislature from 1956 to 1964 that sought to root out homosexuals from state universities.

The festival’s educational workshops were designed by Mills for visiting and aspiring filmmakers, and will be held Thursday morning at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce. In addition to Mills, other panelists are: Andrew Kenneth Gay, a visiting assistant professor of film and independent filmmaker; and film graduate students Max Rosseau, Tim Ritter and Charles Sutter.

The workshops are: “So You Have an Idea for a Film—Now What?” and “So You’ve Made an Independent Film—Now What?”

The festival shows films in seven categories (comedy, drama, animation, documentary, sci-fi/horror, Florida Flavor and E for Everyone, which is for viewers of all ages). The winners of each block of films, as determined by the voting viewers, advance to the final Best of the Fest block of movies on Sunday night, at which Mills also is one of the five judges.

Mills said she loves the art of the short film because they are tight and concise.

“The good ones make you like the main character very quickly and deliver a simple and elegant message at the end,” she said.

For the festival schedule and other information, go to the LoveYourShorts.com website or .

Called the Canvas Network, the platform allows UCF to give back to the community by offering slightly adapted versions of its courses to members of the general public free of cost. Curriculum is similar to what tuition-paying students are taught, but adjustments have been made to accommodate assessing large volumes of online learners.

The Canvas Network was developed by Instructure, a technology company that UCF uses to facilitate online learning. Courses on the Canvas Network will begin in January, and, to start, they will include more than 20 offerings from a dozen universities and community colleges across the country.

Beginning this week, students can view courses and register to take courses at .

“Canvas Network enables us and other participating institutions to decide the way we want to structure our courses,” said Joel Hartman, vice provost and chief information officer for UCF. “We value the ability to leverage both the highly capable Canvas platform, as well as all we have learned about online teaching and learning over the past 17 years.”

In addition to exposing learners worldwide to UCF’s education offerings, the Canvas Network will provide professors with another platform for instructional innovation. Instructors and institutions have the ability to define the structure of their courses and the teaching approaches that they feel most comfortable with.

“We believe the people who know best how to transform learning are teachers and students, so through the Canvas Network we’re enabling them to experiment with new teaching methodologies with more flexibility and less constraints,” said Brian Whitmer, co-founder and chief product officer at Instructure.

The courses listed on the Canvas Network cover topics such as economics, math, engineering, dance, music, art, literature, business and science.

Courses from UCF are taught by experienced online instructors who were eager to expand their offerings to the public. Assistant professor Robert Cassanello will instruct “Writing History” and assistant professor Bernardo Ramirez will teach “International Health Systems.”

The hope is that UCF’s course offerings will expand in the future.

To learn more about online learning at UCF, visit .

View the documentary on .