Max Shores is a producer/director in the Center for Public Television & Radio at the University of Alabama. He also serves as adjunct faculty in the department of Telecommunication & Film.
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"Songs Inside The Box" DVDs
DVDs of "Songs Inside The Box," the cigar box guitar documentary are now available online through The Cigar Box Guitar Emporium, an eBay store operated by Bill Jehle. Bill demonstrates how to build a cigar box guitar in the documentary as well as discussing the history of the instrument. He is from Decatur, Alabama and is the current curator of the National Cigar Box Guitar Museum, a collection of instruments [...]
Gambling Debate Is Not New To Alabama
Present discussions regarding gambling here in Alabama are reminiscent of a time in the state's past when Phenix City allowed many forms of gambling and state government officials looked the other way. Phenix City’s past was the subject of my documentary, “Up from the Ashes: The Rebirth of Phenix City.” I did the documentary, which was nominated for an Emmy Award, ten years ago. There has been renewed interest in Phenix City's story recently because the state of Alabama is currently [...]
Kudzu Documentary Has Enduring Legacy
I was searching for a documentary topic when I called a friend to pick his brain. "You could do a documentary on kudzu," he said and I was drawn into a field of tangled vines that hold me to this day. That conversation was in 1994 and in it I learned that my friend's mother made baskets by weaving kudzu vines. With the help of a student research assistant, I found fascinating people making things from kudzu, determined people trying to kill kudzu, and I unraveled the almost too strange to [...]
"Songs Inside The Box" wins LA Reel Film Fest Award
It was announced on December 30th, 2009 that "Songs Inside The Box," the cigar box guitar documentary won an Honorable Mention award from the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival. Despite the name, this isn't a real film festival because it doesn't include screenings of the selected films. It's simply an awards competition, but I'm still quite honored that my work has been recognized. According to the festival website: "The Los Angeles Reel Film Festival was founded by a group of [...]