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JUNE 2026
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Enjoy Your Summer
Film and Video Studies wishes you all a relaxing and enjoyable summer. We look forward to welcoming you back to campus this Fall.
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Registration Reminder
Registration for Summer and Fall 2026 is ongoing. Below, please see some of
the courses we’re offering.
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Featured Summer 2026 Course
Want to free up your homework load during the academic year? Take FAVS 250 Business of Film online this summer and learn business and legal essentials that all filmmakers must know.
FAVS 250 Business of Film
7/13/2026-8/14/2026 - Summer Session F
Online with Professor Lisa Thrasher
This course provides an overview of the film and television industry from a business perspective. Students learn basic film entertainment business practices and protocol, including film financing, copyright & trademark, anti-trust, trademark, IP licensing, agents & managers, entertainment unions & guilds, film distribution, and marketing techniques.
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Featured Fall 2026 Courses
FAVS 320 Afrofuturism and Their Kin
Wednesdays 1:30pm-4:10pm | INN 133
Instructor: Professor Lenny Collins
This course is an introduction to Afrofuturism, or Black Speculative culture, including Black horror and fantasy. Considering how societal fears regarding race intersect with violence, we’ll engage philosophies around horror that analyze tensions between conjurings of ‘monstrosities’ and the ways that racial identity is constructed and consumed. As these artists re-envision the Black diasporic past, present, and future, they present alternative visions of the futures of blackness.
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FAVS 375 Fiction Filmmaking
Mondays 1:30pm-4:10pm | AB 1007
Instructor: Professor Nikyatu Jusu
This course examines techniques for directing fiction films. Students study the directorial approaches of a variety of directors by viewing and critiquing classic films. Students learn about the director's role in each stage of film production. Students shoot, direct and edit fictional scenes and sequences intended to develop and convey the beginnings of the authorial signatures.
Note: FAVS 375 is a controlled course, and permission is required to register. Please contact Professor Jusu at njusu@gmu.edu.
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FAVS 255 Film Production
Multiple Sections and Instructors
This course is a hands-on methods course in video production for film. Through practice, reading, film viewing, and discussions, students will be introduced to the art and activity of digital filmmaking across film genres. Multiple creative and collaborative assignments provide a range of filmmaking experiences. Open to all majors.
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FAVS 280 - Screenwriting: Introduction
Online | Multiple Sections and Instructors
This course is an introduction to writing for screen storytelling. The approach combines lecture, discussion, and individual/group exercises, activities, and critiques. By the end of the semester, each student will complete at least two short film scripts.
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FAVS 399 - Location Sound
Mondays 10:30am-1:10pm | AB 1007
Professor Amanda Kraus
Great sound is the foundation of great filmmaking. In this hands-on course, students learn how to capture clean, professional-quality audio on location using industry-standard tools and techniques. From microphones and mixers to real-world problem-solving on set, this course builds the skills and confidence needed to elevate your storytelling through sound.
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FAVS 260 - Video Editing for Film
Multiple Sections | IN 233
Professor Maura Ugarte
This course instructs on the theories and technical expertise of film and video editing. Students will learn to use video editing software and tell stories. The course combines lectures, discussions, and demonstrations with hands-on projects.
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Save the Date:
Ice Cream Social and Production Fair
Save the date for the Film and Video Studies Ice Cream Social and Production Fair, taking place on Friday, September 4, 2026. Stay tuned for more information to come.
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CVPA Young Alumni Commissioning Project
George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts Young Alumni Commissioning Project provides crucial support for our alumni’s ongoing artistic development.
Recipients may be awarded up to $5,000 in commissioning funds, to be used at the artist’s discretion to cover project-related expenses, including but not limited to artist fees, licensing fees, equipment rental/purchase, and travel expenses. The award includes venue, production, and marketing support for a public presentation of the work.
- Applicant must be a graduate of the College of Visual and Performing Arts from the class of 2016 and after.
- Alumni who completed undergraduate and/or graduate degrees and certificate holders are eligible, as are double majors and recognized minors.
- Collaborative teams are eligible if one or more CVPA alumni have a key creative role in the project.
- Current George Mason staff are eligible, even if they are currently enrolled in a degree program, as long as they have also completed an undergraduate degree, graduate degree, or certificate at George Mason.
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Internship Spotlight:
Herndon Community Television
Aidan Harris-Cross (’26), a recent FAVS graduate, developed The A-Side while taking the FAVS 450 Internship course during the Spring 2026 semester. Aidan produced the interview series for Herndon Community Television (HCTV), and the show was broadcast on their network. Watch the series here.
Be on the lookout for an interview with Aidan about his internship experience, coming soon.
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Fall Internship Opportunities at Wolf Trap
Fall internship positions at Wolf Trap are offered in the following areas: Production, Fundraising, Special Events Planning, and more. Internships at Wolf Trap are eligible for FAVS 450 credit.
Apply by: August 1, 2026
Learn more and apply here
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Alumni and Student Spotlight
Gnome Gnome, a Larken Production created by alum Isabella Koontz's ('26) production company, received 4 nominations and 2 wins at the RVA 48 Hour Film Challenge.
Kajwan Alavi ('26) was nominated for Best Editing and Best Writing and won Best Use of Prop, and Samir Alimov ('26) won Best Cinematography.
The film was created by team "To Martha Or Not To Martha," which consisted of FAVS and George Mason students and alumni: Sofia Mariduena, Zachary Kim, Bryan Walser, Brian Revor, Ian Montalvo ('24), Andrew Akbari ('24), and Bertem Demirtas ('25).
Watch a clip of alum Samir Alimov ('26) on Richmond's local ABC News station discussing the project.
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Alumni Achievements
Several films created by alumni during their time as students in the FAVS program were featured at the Fredericksburg Film Festival (June 25-28).Nate Henry’s (‘25) In Your Dreams screened in the "Virginia is for Film Lovers" block, and Sujay Khona’s (‘25) Kaju Katli was featured in the "What We Carry" block. The Festival's "Student Films" block highlighted Macabre by Jonah Manibusan (‘24), Pompeii by Bodhi Bryan-Roig (‘25), and Pas de Deux by Madison Lee Koren (‘25).
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Film Opportunities and Resources
Festival Submissions:
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Pitch Program:
Filmmakers located in the southern states! Apply now to pitch your narrative or documentary project as part of the 2026 New Orleans Film Festival’s South Pitch program, taking place October 22-27, 2026. Selected projects will have up to five minutes to pitch their film to industry panelists for feedback and funding. The festival is offering $5,000 each to the documentary and narrative winners, as well as a guaranteed $1,500 to all selected pitchers.
It’s free to apply before July 10, and $30 before the late deadline of July 31.
Click here for applications and more details.
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Did you miss our last newsletter?
Check out the archives here.
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We want to hear from you! If you have news you would like to contribute, please send it to film@gmu.edu. We are looking for regional film events and updates from Film at George Mason alumni. Keep up-to-date on all the current Film at George Mason news at film.gmu.edu.
Film and Video Studies
College of Visual and Performing Arts
4400 University Dr. MSN 5D8
Fairfax, VA 22030
703-993-3287 | film@gmu.edu
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