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MONTHLY NEWSLETTERMAY 2023
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Congratulations Class of 2023! Logan Matthew Allen
Sabrina Beach
Alene Naltchayan Boghosian
Ryan William Burke
Jordyn E. Caldwell
Alyssa Grace Chandler
Hannah R. Dowgiallo
Stephanie M. Faura
William R. Fochtmann
Aqwia Harris
William Chandler Herr Jr.
Mya Simone Kenton
Gene Su Kim
Steven King Jr.
Damien Krzesinski
Paul I. Lee
Cullen A. Livingstone
Tyler A. Means
Hintsa G. Mehari
Amber E. Menifee
Raquel M. Murray
Haley E. O’Neill
Elisabeth A. Padula
Michelle Pan
Jakob Elliot Peters
Sophie Potts
Alexander Rodriguez
Joshua P. Rudolph
Blake Tiberius Smith
Sarah Strunk
Daija Marie Sykes
Daniel Taylor
Alaejha Nicole Brianna Thomas
Jennifer Vu
Tiffany Vu
Wenhao Wang
EJ Ward
Jaiden E. Williams
Ty Wright
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Mason Film Festival
Thank you to everyone who came out for the annual Mason Film Festival. Congratulations to all students on your screenings, pitches, and staged readings. Your work is inspiring, and we look forward to seeing what you create next.
The Festival is made possible because of the hard work of Film at Mason staff and faculty: we appreciate all of you. We also thank our Film at Mason Advisory Board, FAVS alumni, and film community members who participated on our juries. We are grateful for the time you spent watching student films and providing them with supportive feedback.
Congratulations to the 2023 Award Winners:
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Academic Excellence Award
This award goes to students with the highest GPA with 120 credits at Mason.
Jennifer Vu
Sabrina Beach
Tiffany Vu
Ryan Burke
Ty Wright
Academic Achievement Award
This award goes to students with the highest GPA with credits transferred to Mason.
Sarah Strunk
Daija Sykes
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Professional Achievement Award
This award honors outstanding achievements in professional preparation for the field of film and video studies.
Daniel Taylor
Sophie Potts
Paul Lee
Mya Kenton
Service Award
This award recognizes outstanding service to the Film and Video Studies Program.
Hintsa Mehari
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Capstone Awards
Olivia Cunningham (Producing)
Cullen Livingstone (Cinematography)
Sabrina Beach (Editing)
Tyler Means (Screenwriting)
Showcase Awards
Best of Fest: "Surrender," Tiffany Vu
Best Drama: "We're Only Strangers," Jennifer Vu
Best Comedy: "Side Bi Side," Will Fochtmann
Best Horror/Thriller: "Oscuro," Wenhao Wang
Best Fantasy Sci-Fi: "Countdown," Jaiden Williams
Best Romance/Rom-Com: "Ms. Understanding," Damien Krzesinski
Best Experimental/Non-Narrative Film: "Jazz," Andrew Opitz
Story Changes the World: "Transcendent Love," Ty Wright
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Audience Award Block 1
Jennifer Vu, "We're Only Strangers"
Audience Award Block 2
Tiffany Vu, "Surrender"
Technical Awards
Best Producing: Iana Lee, "Jazz" and Daniel Zaitoun, "We're Only Strangers"
Best Co-Producing: Tariq Ismail, "Ms. Understanding"
Best Editing: Sabrina Beach, "We're Only Strangers" and Elissa Padula and Paul Lee, "Countdown"
Best Cinematography: Jessilee Pollet, "Side Bi Side"
Best Sound Design: Paul Lee, Justin Tyler Bowers, and Laim Tipler, "Oscuro"
Best VFX: Julian Pryce, "Ms. Understanding" and Wenhao Wang, "Oscuro"
Best Color Grading: Sidney Mullins, "Ms. Understanding" and Wenhao Wang and Matthew Baltar, "Oscuro"
Best Original Score: Martha Molinaro and An Tran, "Surrender"
Best Costume: Jae Villatoro and Angel Lee, "Invoke"
Best Make-Up: Jennifer Vu, "Welcome to Grailwood"
Best Production Design: Mat Ross and Olivia Williams, "We're Only Strangers" and Olivia Williams, "Surrender"
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Pitch Awards
Best Digital Pitch: Sarah Heaton, "She Shot That"
Best Lookbook: Sarah Heaton, "She Shot That"
Best Pitch Delivery: Spencer Phillips, "Found and Lost"
Best Pitch Story: Michael Rivera, "History 101" and Mauricio Alarcon, "La Vida"
Faculty Awards
Outstanding Directing: Tiffany Vu, "Surrender"
Exceptional Performance: Kayla Stephens, "Countdown"; Kiara Lu, "We're Only Strangers"; Catarina Kim, "Surrender"; Zoe B Winter, "Transcendent Love"; Justin Bowers, "Side Bi Side"; Miju Kim Pascual, "Surrender"
Exceptional Ensemble Performance: Jennifer Vu, "We're Only Strangers"
Best Screenplay: Jennifer Vu, "We're Only Strangers"
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A Successful Fundraiser
We are happy to announce that we raised $7,594.77 to go toward Film at Mason scholarships for the coming academic year. Thank you to everyone who contributed gifts, especially our Alumna and Film at Mason Advisory Board member, Clara Kelly, who initiated our successful match challenge.
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Thank you to our generous supporters of Film at Mason Gifts are recognized from Jan 1, 2022- May 6, 2023
Producer ($2,500 and above)
Clara and John Kelly
Willy Meaux
Director ($1,000-2,499)
Dr. Joy R. Hughes and Mr. Kenneth Lee
Melanie Sams and Thomas Sulek
Paul and Virginia Singh
Kathleen and John Kehoe
Screenwriter ($500-999))
Dr. Rick Davis and Ms. Julie Thompson
Leading Role ($250-499)
G. Chesler
Ms. Melissa J. Houghton
Supporting Role ($100-249)
Theodore Adams, Red Zeppelin Productions
Vicki and John Salmon
Michael and Susan Kehoe
Justin Plakas
Mr. Jim Folliard
Cynthia and Thomas Judge
Friend (up to $99)
Anonymous
Ryan Braaten
Amanda Kraus
Shawn Malangyaon
Catherine Morse
Stanford Morse
Robert and Ida Portland
Samantha Sinagra
Unified Home Industries, Inc.
Lewis and Anne Wright
Mrs. Lorriz Anne A. Yi
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Fall 2023 Course Spotlight
Are you looking for a fun class to take in the Fall? Consider FAVS 399: Podcasting: Audio Storytelling with Professor Amanda Kraus. In this class, you will learn how to develop and produce a podcast step-by-step. From writing and casting to recording and editing, students will be responsible for the concept and completion of two episodes. This course is scheduled on Mondays, 10:30am-1:10pm, in the Art and Design Building AB 1005. To register, enter CRN 83572.
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Student Academy Awards Application
The Student Academy Awards (SAA) recognizes and honors student filmmakers who demonstrate excellence in the creation of motion pictures. By awarding these outstanding achievements, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences strives to support and inspire emerging filmmakers and to foster growth and education in the art and science of motion pictures.
The deadline for the Student Academy Awards is June 1, 2023. Get your project ready for submission and read the rules carefully. For more information, visit: https://filmfreeway.com/StudentAcademyAwards.
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Virginia Screenwriting Competition
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Undergraduate Research Grants
Need funding for your senior film or individualized research projects?
Apply for George Mason university’s Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP). Students can receive anywhere from $1,500-$5,000 to be used on their project or film.
For more information, visit https://oscar.gmu.edu/students/ursp/.
Application deadline is June 2, 2023.
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Faculty Achievement
Professor Samirah Alkassim is a recipient of the Center for Humanities Summer Research grant at Mason to work on her book, A Journey of Screens in 21st Century Arab Film and Media. She will be giving a talk, "History and Memory in the Landscapes of Theeb and The Infiltrators," at the Film Criticism Forum in Abha, Saudi Arabia in June.
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Alumni Spotlight
Rodrigo Vasquez (FAVS '19) is an Associate Producer at the National Geographic Society. He works on projects that illuminate National Geographic's mission, projects, and explorers. Working in a new department at NGS, Rodrigo is responsible for setting up many processes and procedures. In addition to his many duties, he has also had the opportunity to shoot and edit films and select film equipment for the department. Rodrigo has enjoyed working on projects related to the climate crisis and environmental conservation. Committed to making a difference in the world with his work, he is helping to make these struggles increasingly visible.
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Film Opportunities and Resources
Festival Submissions:
Fellowships and Grant Opportunities:
- GMU’s URSP– Deadline: June 2, 2023
- Detroit Narrative Agency is inviting BIPOC metro-Detroiters to create short films around Environmental Justice. Eight films will win a $3,000 grant. Submission Deadline: June 2, 2023
- Firelight Media invites mid-career nonfiction filmmakers from underrepresented communities to apply for the William Greaves Research & Development Fund. The fund offers grants up to $40K each to support research and development on a feature-length nonfiction film and any essential need grantees have, including healthcare and childcare costs. Application Deadline: June 6, 2023
- The Black List and GM Incubator Fund are accepting applications for the Writer-Driven Shorts Program, which will grant two emerging filmmakers with $100,000 in production funds to shoot a short film based on their feature scripts. Submission Deadline: August 15, 2023.
Workshops
Job Opportunities:
- Sundance is hiring a Content Producer to develop and manage organized systems, production workflows, and schedules that allow for streamlined creative output and media production.
- The Los Angeles Times is seeking an Assistant Editor to join their growing Latino Initiatives team. The role will be responsible for assigning and editing staff and freelance stories and will work with the editorial director and the design director to ideate, produce and execute on storytelling that will engage with the Latino community in Los Angeles and beyond.
- Film at Lincoln Center is hiring a contract Partnerships & Advertising Assistant for the New York Film Festival.
- Who What Wear is hiring a Podcast Producer.
- The 2023 BlackStar Film Festival is looking for volunteers to provide support before and during this year’s fest.
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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 Mason alumni. Keep up-to-date on all the current Film at 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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