U of A Documentary ‘If This Walk Could Talk’ Now Available Online
If This Walk Could Talk, a documentary film that shares personal reflections about the University of Arkansas, had its highly anticipated premiere earlier this month and the film is now available for viewing free on the university’s YouTube page.
As part of the U of A’s sesquicentennial celebration, If This Walk Could Talk was written and produced by Larry Foley, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and chair of the School of Journalism and Strategic Media.
The documentary features recollections pulled from 150 years of documents, yearbooks and film clips as well as interviews from alumni and current students, professors and campus leaders that tell personal stories of memorable events and share the significance of Senior Walk.
“It was both an honor, and a challenge, to be asked to tell this story,” Foley said. “One hundred and fifty years is a long time, and I wanted to produce a film that would connect with our audience, who are alums, students and people who love the university. The stories are fun and poignant and very diverse. They shed light on little-known milestones, while embracing the genesis of our most hallowed traditions, as well as a glimpse at what the future might hold.”
Foley, himself a 1976 journalism graduate of the U of A, said one of his inspirations for the film was a collection of old Razorback Yearbooks dating back to the 1900s that were filled with prose of student memories and reflections of their days on the Hill. Those digital collections, along with collections of the Arkansas Traveler and BAD Times, are available through the University Libraries.
Along with Foley, alumni John Cooper and Ben Goodwin, who both work in the U of A’s Office of University Relations, served as associate producers and photographers on the project. Music professor emeritus Jim Greeson composed an original score.
“I like this film,” Foley said. “I’m proud of what we’ve done, and I think others will enjoy it too. It’s our story, full of trials and tribulations, high water marks and lessons in life. It’s a story of resilience, perseverance, hope and promise.”
Foley’s films have earned eight Mid America Emmys from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and 19 Emmy nominations in writing, journalistic enterprise, history, cultural history, special programs, and community service. His films have also received four Best of Festival of Media Arts awards from the international Broadcast Education Association.
If This Walk Could Talk is now available to view on the U of A’s YouTube page.
For more information about the university’s sesquicentennial events, visit 150.uark.edu.
This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.
