Birmingham native stars in documentary on her quest to become homecoming queen at the University of Alabama

Jessica Thomas exudes all of the poise and confidence of a veteran network news anchor.

But the 24-year-old, third-year law student at Samford's Cumberland School of Law admits she's a little apprehensive about tonight's screening of the documentary "'Bama Girl" at the Alabama Theatre.

The closing-night film in this year's Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, the documentary follows Thomas in her 2005 quest to become the University of Alabama's first black homecoming queen in more than a decade.

"This is my hometown," Thomas says. "I've been here all my life, and here I will be on the big screen.

"One of the things that makes me think is the fact that it's playing at the Alabama Theatre," she adds. "My grandparents will be there who, years ago, couldn't even go to the Alabama Theatre."

"'Bama Girl" premiered earlier this year at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, and has subsequently played at festivals in Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans and Memphis.

But tonight is the first time it will be shown in Alabama.

"It's the audience that I think is the most sophisticated about the issues (the film) raises and also the most emotional about them," director Rachel Goslins says.

"There are a lot of sensitivities that this film touches on, and I tried to do it in a fair and objective way. But I'm sure people will have strong reactions to it one way or another."

Telling the story:

Goslins, who calls herself "a liberal white girl raised in Southern California," first came to the university in 2004 to start interviewing students and to get the UA administration's permission to shoot on campus.

Previously, Goslins had made documentaries for National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, PBS, A&E and the History Channel networks.

"I knew I wanted to make a film about race and electoral politics, and I thought that by telling the sort of microcosm of the homecoming queen race at the University of Alabama would be a great way to do it," Goslins says....