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| MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
JANUARY 2026
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Welcome Back
Welcome to the Spring semester. Everyone in the Film and Video Studies program at George Mason is looking forward to seeing you.
This semester is special: we’re celebrating the Program’s 20th anniversary. At the Mason Film Festival in May, we’ll host a number of events and panels, including Film and Video Studies alumni (faculty and staff as well as students) and current community members. Stay tuned for more information as we plan the details of our celebration.
Courses this Spring include Cinematic Podcasting, Cinematography, Ethics of Film, Beyond Screens, and Fiction Filmmaking, as well as Special Topics courses like Documentary Editing, VFX, and Music Documentary Filmmaking. We hope everyone meets new friends, in the Program and elsewhere. We can all support each other in all kinds of ways, sharing our stories and our aspirations.
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Last Day To Add
The last day to add courses to your schedule is Tuesday, January 27th. If you have questions about your schedule or need to make changes, please contact your Academic Advisor Maddie Portnoy (mportnoy@gmu.edu) to discuss options.
Please see below the courses with seats that are still available. Register on Patriot Web.
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| Spring 2026 Courses: Seats Available
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There are still seats available in the following courses:
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.
FAVS 250 Business of Film
Thursdays, 1:30-4:10pm | IN 319 | 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.
FAVS 110 Beyond Screens: Digital Creation
Thursdays, 10:30am-1:10pm | IN 233 | Professor Rebekah Wingert-Jabi
This course builds the foundation for students to be critical consumers and ethical producers of digital, visual, and audio media. Students identify and analyze formal elements of films, television, commercials, social media content, and emerging technologies, including AI. Students create their own media and develop skills in videography, sound recording, and video and sound editing.
FAVS 225 Introduction to World Cinema
Mondays, 4:30-7:10pm | IN 206 | Professor Lucy Gebre-Egziabher
This course explores examples of many kinds of movies from around the world, including documentary, fiction, and experimental. Students will share their understandings of film language and structures, with attention to film's many contexts, including economic institutions, historical events, and political and social issues that shape and are shaped by movies. Mason Core Arts.
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Welcome Back Winter Warm-Up
Friday, February 6, 2026
12:30pm-2:00pm
Center for the Arts Lobby
Kick off the spring semester at our Welcome Back Winter Warm-Up! There will be FREE
hot chocolate and a chance to connect with your peers and George Mason film student organizations. Learn about upcoming events including the 2026 Mason Film Festival and
the 20th anniversary celebration of Film and Video Studies. In addition, we will have
information on internships, demos from the equipment cage, and a special visit from DC Camera!
Attendees who check in at our event will have a chance to win free FAVS swag!
*Please note our new location for this year (Center for the Arts Lobby)
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Film and Video Studies Scholarships
The Academic Scholarship application for the 2026-2027 school year is open. Film and Video Studies wants eager, talented students to have the opportunity to hone their craft. We offer financial aid and scholarships to support students as they work toward realizing their goals as filmmakers.
For eligibility and requirements, view our scholarship website.
Deadline: March 1, 2026
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2026 Mason Film Festival and
20th Anniversary of Film and Video Studies
Save the date for the 2026 Mason Film Festival and the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Film and Video Studies Program, scheduled for May 7- May 9, 2026, on George Mason University’s Fairfax campus.
The celebration will feature a variety of alumni events and activities, including an online alumni film showcase, panels, a reception, in addition to our annual Mason Film Festival.
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FAVS at 20 Virtual Alumni Showcase
Let’s Celebrate 20 Years of Stories, Creativity, and YOU.
We are thrilled to announce the Film at George Mason Virtual Alumni Showcase, running April 27 – May 3, 2026, the week before the 2026 Mason Film Festival, via Film Freeway and Mason Arts Amplified. We want you and your work to be part of our celebration of two decades of Film at George Mason.
The Alumni Showcase is an opportunity for our amazing alumni community to reconnect and to share all the talent, heart, and imagination that make our Program so special. Let’s fill the Showcase with the wide range of work you’ve made, across the country and around the world.
Please note that all submissions will be carefully reviewed by Film and Video Studies faculty for content. As always, our Film Festival accommodates a family audience. We’ll reach out if we have questions regarding your film’s content.
Submission Deadline: March 6, 2026
If you have any questions, email film@gmu.edu.
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Meet our New Alumni Relations Intern
Welcome Isaias Segui Asad!
Isaias Segui Asad is the Film and Video Studies Alumni Relations Intern. He is a Film and Videos studies student at George Mason University with a concentration in post-production. He has previously worked as an intern with Washington Digital Media, Bmore Funny Entertainment and the Healthy Climate America podcast.
You can find him working in C100. Be sure to stop by and say hello!
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Local Film Festival: LightReel Film Festival
LightReel Film Festival (June 3-6, 2026), DC's largest BIPOC film festival, annually celebrates the creative spirit of BIPOC independent cinema in the Nation's Capital. LightReel serves a dual purpose: spotlighting emerging voices of color in film while offering a dynamic platform for established filmmakers to explore new stories and themes. Submit your feature, documentary, episodic, short, or student film for consideration.
Deadline: February 17, 2026
For more information, please visit the website and to submit your film, visit FilmFreeway.
Contact: info@lightreelfilm.com
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| Faculty and Alumni Spotlight
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From left to right: Sabrina Beach (FAVS alum), Shawn Malangyaon (FAVS alum),
BeBe Nguyen (Executive Director of RCC), Professor Rebekah Wingert-Jabi, Bodhi Bryan-Roig (FAVS alum).
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On January 19, three FAVS alumni joined Professor Rebekah Wingert-Jabi for a screening of two short videos produced by her production company, Storycatcher Productions (SCP), for Reston Community Center (RCC).
The videos were filmed by FAVS alum Shawn Malangyaon ('22) and edited by FAVS alum Bodhi Bryan-Roig ('25). FAVS alum Jonah Manibusan ('25) and Ian Leach ('22) were second camerapersons on the videos.
The videos are part of a series titled "Building Community with Inclusive Leadership" that SCP is producing for Reston Community Center. The videos screened at RCC's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration luncheon along with speeches by Rep. Walkinshaw; Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Jeffrey C. McKay; Executive of Fairfax County, Bryan Hill, and Supervisor Walter Alcorn. The videos will be posted to RCC's YouTube channel soon.
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Student Achievement
Aryaman Kantawala was recently featured in The George (January 13, 2026) for his role as director of a student-produced documentary. The film focuses on the DC Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, a local nonprofit that supports children with cancer, as well as their families.
Read the article here.
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Alumni News
Snack Night, a production company founded by FAVS Alumni Kyle Finnegan and Irem Dogancali, directed a music video for Flirty Little Fling by Maddie Assel. The project was executive produced by Skye Lindberg, a George Mason theater alum who met Finnegan while they were both students at George Mason.
The production featured a crew of many FAVS alumni, including Irem Dogancali, Kyle Finnegan, Roberto De Cecco, Tiana Young, Lindsey Oblitey, Elijah James, Hannah Looney,
Kasi Bumgarner, Mike Rose, Logan Brown, and Bianca Mae.
Flirty Little Fling is nominated for four WAMMIE Music Awards: Best Pop Artist/Group, Best Pop Album, Best Music Video, and Best Pop Song.
Watch the music video below:
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CVPA Staff Spotlight
Seth Novick is CVPA's Career Development and Alumni Engagement Coordinator. He can assist with finding internships and jobs, resume review, elevator pitches, mock interviews, and more. You can make an appointment with Seth if you ever need career-related help. Learn more about Seth here.
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Film Opportunities and Resources
Festival Submissions:
Job Opportunity:
- Social Media and Video Manager, George Washington's Mount Vernon. Apply by February 11, 2026 on Handshake. Job ID#: 10634191.
Internship:
- Video & Digital Intern, RedPeg Marketing. 2026 Summer Internship. Apply by February 15, 2026 on Handshake. Job ID#: 10655990.
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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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